Hello all! Around 4:00pm this evening we arrived at the coop to put the ladies to bed for the night. The first thing I noticed was the water canister had been knocked over. Four of the girls were already in the hen house while Not-Fiona, Coraline and 2 of the new ones were still out scratching around. After adding fresh water Coraline and Not-Fiona drank a good amount but the 2 other girls didn't even touch it. They weren't interested in the water and soon after made their own way into the hen house. Not-Fiona and Coraline in their social way hung around as I tended to the straw and tidied up. There was a couple inches of food in the feeder but the outer tray that they eat from looked a little pecked through. So I gave it a little twist and shake to refill the outer tray and Not-Fiona and Coraline proceeded to eat for the next 10 minutes straight. I was surprised at how hungry they appeared. Does anyone know if there is a particular ingredient in the food they are looking for and giving the feeder a twist and shake brought more of that ingredient down from the center? Maybe they just wanted to get one last gulp of food before turning in for the night?
So....upon returning home we were a little concerned that maybe the rest of the gang didn't get the needed water before turning in for the night since the canister had been knocked over. After making a few calls we learned a couple of things that would be good to share.
1. If the ladies put THEMSELVES in the hen house to roost for the night, then their food and water needs should have been met.
2. If you put fresh water out for them and they are thirsty, they will drink it.
It was also mentioned tonight that we probably could use a better water system in the coop. I think Sara is going to try secure the canister to the corner with some wire which should help the tipping issue. If that doesn't work maybe there is a way we could hang it in the corner (similar to the feed bucket system)?
And still....no eggs yet.
Geoff and Sarah Noyes
No comments:
Post a Comment