[Kitchen Cottage]

For the first few weeks of this lot of ex bats, I shut coralled them with food at night and put them away.

I've started now waiting for dusk for them to learn to roost.

Two things.... my "proper" sussex's roost much earlier then this lot and, secondly, we seem to have developed a "relaxed" approach about where to go, last night it was 3 shut in the food store on some old hay, 1 in an old rabbit hunch I use as a hospital for sick hens, 5 in their old coop and...... 4 in the handmade, large, roomy, freshly painted and matted.... new coop....

I'm worried if I close off all other avenues, they'll roost somewhere I can't find them and Mr Fox will get them.... is it a rod for my own back for them to roost as and when and how easy should it be to get them all into the new coop.  I put them in by hand for about a week.... but they haven't taken the hint...

I should mention some vested self interest here..... in the new coop the sussex criminal hens eat the eggs before I open up in the morning... when they go into the food stable to lay and sleep.... the sussex's ignore the eggs!

[HelenVF]

I round my chickens up into their pen before roosting.  Easier enough done and they get a treat when they go in. Is there a pen attached to the house?  Can you do the same so they are at least in the right area for when they do need to be shut in.

Helen

[in the hills]

Only had one batch of ex-batts and it took them forever to learn to go to bed at a reasonable hour  . Lots of hens here and there would be not a bird in sight but the ex batts .... usually having a night time dust bath. Just picked them up and put them to bed .... they did get it in the end.

[chrismahon]

Think at this stage they should be in a small run attached to the coop so they have no choice KC.

[Hevxxx99]

I suggest you remove the sussex eggeaters to somewhere else where they can't get at the new girls' eggs and pen them or you'll be in the same boat as me and be forever searching for bloomin' eggs!

Have you tried to stop the egg eating? I know old guard would say neck 'em, but blowing and filling eggs with a strong mix of chili and mustard makes them rethink sometimes...