Still had to put the girls in the coop and on the perches last night. They can be so intelligent about some things, but dumber than a bag of hammers about others. I tweaked the setting on the door control to allow it to stay open until it’s pretty much completely dark outside, and the idgit chooks still didn’t go in by themselves. I lifted the door and poked them through one at a time while the missus parked them on the roost. They’re a lot easier to catch after dark for sure.
I made the roosts with some small hickory poles I cut from underbrush so they would be as natural as possible and comfy for the girls to sit on overnight. They’re still working on pecking order too, so maybe not knowing who’s going to get to be on the too roost is part of the problem. They just huddle in a corner and pretend they don’t know where the door is, despite running in and out of it all day. Im thinking I may have to move the feed/water inside the coop so they’re already inside when they’re getting the last meal and drink for the day. Dunno if that’ll do the trick but I don’t really want to be tucking them in every night. Crazy birds.
I did find out which one likes me most, though.
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This one comes to me every time I go in the pen. She gets on my head so she’s ‘bigger’ than all the others. I also learned to wear a hat when I go into the pen. She likes to peck (exploring) my scalp too. I don’t think I want her to decide to change the pecking order for me. They’re a lot of fun when they’re this friendly.