Can shorter days confuse chickens? They are not going in the coop now

[shine389]

Is there some reason they might be spooked about going in the coop?
Any changes made just before this behavior started?
Any pests like mites maybe present?
Did they maybe get nipped by the autodoor and now they are afraid of it...or are they settling onto the run roost way before door closes?
Is the autodoor operate by light sensor or timer? Daylight savings time change maybe screw it up?

Definitely remove roost in run and see what happens.

The only thing new that I have done is changed the bedding. I had pdz on a tray under the roost, and changed it to pdz and wood chips. I see no mites on their feet, but I'm new to this, and not sure where to look and what to look for. I'll have to research this I guess.

Thanks for the questions. I'm thinking...

 

[shine389]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ridgerunner

Their birdbrains are not wired for logic quite like ours. Sometimes it is really hard to figure out what causes their behavior.

The way I understand it they were all roosting inside, then about the time we switched back to standard time one or two started roosting outside while one or two roosted inside. Over time they all moved outside to roost. The light was installed after some started roosting outside to try to draw them back inside. So putting the light in there is not the cause.

Aart has asked some really good questions. They are creatures of habit so something happened to cause them to move outside. The time switch seems suspicious but they do not wear watches or understand how to read a calendar. If that had anything to do with it, it was because you did something different or something else changed, maybe a security light on a timer? The days getting shorter would not cause that kind of change, they go to bed by the sun, not a watch. So did you do anything different according to the sun, like feeding then treats in the run too close to bedtime?

How much roost space do they have inside? Are they crowded? That could have something to do with it.

Sort of in line with the crowded roost question, my chickens are most brutal toward each other as they are settling down on the roosts getting ready for bed. Where they sleep depends on the pecking order and where the top ranking chicken wants to sleep. They can be pretty mean moving others out of their way.

Sometimes one chicken will go out of their way to beat up others lower in the pecking order, actually moving from their standard roosting place to go beat up others. I’ve seen this happen regularly when I’m integrating younger chicks. The ones getting beat up look for a safer place to roost. This behavior normally does not happen when the pecking order is settled and if they are all the same age, but even with my adults the ones higher in the pecking order sleep on one end of the roosts near the window while the lower ranking ones are at a the far end. By seven months yours should have all this worked out, but maybe one is late maturing and the pecking order is shaken up a bit as they resort. With the roost outside maybe they have enough room to sleep together without being too close.

I’d suggest checking your coop for roost mites. These only come out at night, hiding in the coop during the day so check after dark. They will run from the light so do it in the dark with a flashlight and look in the vent area. You can see them running away from the light.

It’s possible something frightened them inside the coop. It may have been some critter, maybe some change you made, or about anything. They frighten pretty easily.

So what can you do other than take down that roost in the run? If you have room you can try adding a bit more roost space, but that’s probably not the problem at that age in spite of all I wrote above. Check for mites. After dark, toss them inside the coop and lock them in there until they start going to bed on their own. They can be retrained.

Good luck with it.

I'm assuming you mean to check for the mites in the vented area of the coop and not the chicken's butt, right? LOL. Oh, us newbies....

 

[shine389]

Others have made excellent points.

Also is the outside roost higher than the inside roost? They like to be high up so that could affect their choice.

I have a couple of outside roosts in a covered area and they are nice for the birds especially when it is raining all day, they end up spending most of the day roosting there (which are lower than the night time roosts).

The outside roost maybe is a bit higher than the inside roost. I had thought of this, as I know they like to be high, but it hadn't caused a problem the first few months. I covered the two that I have. Maybe I'll take the higher one down.

Another question I should ask is this. The inside roost runs in front of the window. And while this hasn't been a problem before, is it possible...oh heck forget it why would they all of a sudden.... Thanks for the insights.

 

[aart]

Quote: Bedding change under the roosts could very well spook them enough to avoid the area.
Put them up there and once they realize it won't kill them they'll get over it.

I'm assuming you mean to check for the mites in the vented area of the coop and not the chicken's butt, right? LOL. Oh, us newbies....

I'm pretty sure RR did mean the chickens butt...that is often the first place you will see mites and lice.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yes, the chicken’s butt. The moisture attracts mites.

Don’t worry about being new, we all start somewhere.

 

[centrarchid]

Make certain light levels in coop are not dropping too fast relative to light levels outside. That can happen when sun changes position in sky at sunset with change of seasons. Also check crop fill as birds having trouble filling up for one reason or another will delay going to roost, That can be a particular problem with free-range birds where forages are flagging. For that I compensate for in winter with some whole grains placed near roost area. Potential problem is birds will hit that too early in the day making so they do not consume more complete parts of diet.

 

[shine389]

Yes, the chicken’s butt. The moisture attracts mites.

Don’t worry about being new, we all start somewhere.

Thanks for the encouragement, Ridgerunner. No mites. I think the following post tackles it, but your info as well as all the info everyone has shared has helped. BYC and you guys are best.

 

[shine389]

Make certain light levels in coop are not dropping too fast relative to light levels outside. That can happen when sun changes position in sky at sunset with change of seasons. Also check crop fill as birds having trouble filling up for one reason or another will delay going to roost, That can be a particular problem with free-range birds where forages are flagging. For that I compensate for in winter with some whole grains placed near roost area. Potential problem is birds will hit that too early in the day making so they do not consume more complete parts of diet.

I think you nailed the problem here, centrarchid. You put it into better words than I did. This is exactly what has happened. The inside of the coop is now darker than the outside, which hasn't been the case during the longer days. I am working on it and now have gotten the birds inside the coop 2 nights in a row. Hoping to make a new "routine." If you have any insight on what I can do about the light level in the coop dropping fast relative to the light level outside, let me know. I welcome your input. Thanks so much for reaching out to help.

 

[centrarchid]

West or southwest facing windows can help when you are in the western hemisphere. A skylight can be good as well. Another option is a small (stressing small) nightlight that shines light on the ceiling or back wall. A light too bright may also disrupt going to roost resulting in birds eating and milling about longer than usual. The night light can be place on a timer to shut off at time all birds are in the roost.

 

[shine389]

West or southwest facing windows can help when you are in the western hemisphere. A skylight can be good as well. Another option is a small (stressing small) nightlight that shines light on the ceiling or back wall. A light too bright may also disrupt going to roost resulting in birds eating and milling about longer than usual. The night light can be place on a timer to shut off at time all birds are in the roost.

Thanks for that info. I will try that. Last night one of the hens was on the outside roost, the other 3 were in the coop. I did have a light in there, hoping it would draw them in. I unplugged that. I tried the nite light, but it kept blowing out the bulb. Not sure why. I have to buy a new one, and I will put it on a timer. Thanks so much for all your help.