Tonight I decided to stay out with the girls until bedtime to see how their routine was progressing and to see what time the automatic coop door shut. The summer is coming to an end and the evenings are drawing in and are getting cooler.
I always spend an hour after dinner with the girls doing my end of day clean up, sweep up chores and sitting with them while they chill down towards bedtime. Tonight my husband was away with family so I decided to stay with the girls until bedtime.
They always quieten down and top up with food and water. They always have a last scratch around and then come in to take up their bedtime positions. Amber found a worm which caused a flurry of activity as they all chased her for it. This went on for about five minutes before she managed to keep her worm and devour it herself.
Pepper as top girl was first to take up her position on the high perch. She has the best (highest position). Bluebell was next to take possession of my little chair which hangs under the roof and is almost level with the high perch. Dotty was next to join Pepper (her partner in crime). Honey went up to the storage cabinet and Pepper leaned out to her to show her she wasn’t welcome on the high perch as she is of a lower status. Honey looked towards the little chair which used to be the bantys favoured position but Bluebell leaned out to her to show her this wasn’t an option either. She had no choice but to settle on the storage cabinet which although it’s fairly high up is not as high as the prestigious spots already taken by the big girls.
Amber was still roaming the garden area. I’m not sure if it was the victory of gaining the worm but she was still walking the boundary area quite a few minutes after every one else was settled in place. She then nonchalantly made her way over to the other girls and soon sussed out that her place was next to Honey on the top of the storage cabinet.
Pepper and Dotty did a bit preening of each other, Honey and Amber did a bit of preening themselves. Bluebell looked like she was nodding off to sleep followed by Pepper and Dotty, looking like they were nodding off too.
The current bedtime positions
Bluebell is on the little chair, Amber is in the foreground and Honey behind her on the storage cabinet and Pepper is in the background, Dotty in the foreground on the high perch.
At this moment the automatic door started to shut at five minutes past nine. This made me realise that everyone was in their bedtime position in time before the door closed but just not inside the coop. I usually come out between half past nine and ten o’clock and lift the girls down to bed. I decided that tonight I would put them in immediately after the door shut in the hope that it would get them ready to start going in at dusk before winter arrives.
I will start putting them in earlier each night now that the evenings are cooler, to try to change their habit. It would be good for them to start putting themselves to bed at dusk. I will have to wait and see how long this change in their routine will take at this summers end.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
A great post . You have painted a lovely picture of how my girls are going to be tonight when they go into their new coup I can just visualise it now …I don’t think 🙂 I can dream !
You might be surprised. I am looking forward to hearing how it goes.
When the old coup came down the other week they went straight into the little one no problem ,but they just followed Clovers lead as she already slept in there for the previous week and they always lay their eggs in there.
It will be interesting to see how they react when it’s unfamiliar for sleeping in but on the other hand there is no alternative. Could be some fun and games, I think.