Strange new roosting behavior question...

[Eric 2016]

This might seem silly but are there adequate roosts in the coop?

 

[Sherloki]

It might also just be that they like being up higher. I have 2 hens of my 9 10 week olds that keep trying to sleep on top of the coop, while everyone else goes inside. I actually watched them yesterday and one of the two went in, but a more dominant hen kicked it out of the place it wanted, so it went back outside to look for a better spot. It also could be the heat. A few weeks ago we had days where only one or two of the birds were making it inside (we'd also just installed an automatic door and it was closing when it was fairly light, so that could also have been a factor) we have a fan in our coop to keep air moving and we turned that on (and made the door close later), and the next day everyone started going in.

 

[nickajack]

Thank you so much for the link to fresheggsdaily.com !!! I read the article and all of the comments as well. I'm definitely going to try the natural recipes for killing mites I read about. There's one that is basically water, vegetable oil and dishwashing liquid, that will suffocate mites when sprayed in and around the coop and on the chickens. The other one is a solution made with garlic juice, water, and 1 teaspoon (total) any combination of these essential oils - bay, cinnamon, clove, coriander, lavender, spearmint and/or thyme. Of course the author also said to keep using the DE to prevent re-infestations. Like most people, I too, am hesitant to use anything toxic and prefer proven natural remedies when it comes to my "pets". LOL

 

[Shaunassy]

Im so glad to help i too like to use all natural ways to care for my pets i ended up starting a herb garden just for mt girls and they love it and their nesting boxes lol

 

[nickajack]

This might seem silly but are there adequate roosts in the coop?

 

[nickajack]

Sorry Eric 2016, The coop is sized for 6 hens. Could be that they think it's a little cramped and I guess since they've all been together since birth, some of them aren't comfortable being in the coop while others are out on the roof. Lol. Your guess is as good as mine.

 

[Shezadandy]

Sorry Eric 2016, The coop is sized for 6 hens. Could be that they think it's a little cramped and I guess since they've all been together since birth, some of them aren't comfortable being in the coop while others are out on the roof. Lol. Your guess is as good as mine.

The heat could be what started it all. On the first really nasty hot day mine did all come in (because the run doesn't have perches and they can't get to the roof) but sat there panting with their wings spread and in different spots than normal. If there are 6 in a coop built for 6, it could just be too hot to roost in their normal configuration. Do you have a fan to accelerate air movement?

 

[nickajack]

Shezadandy,

You may be right about the heat. It's been oppressively hot here for several weeks, not to mention we are in a severe drought where I am. I'm going to try a fan to move some air through the coop. They tried to roost on top of the coop again last night. The concern is not so much that they want to stay outside, but that with the automatic door, when it closes for the night, it's not going to open again until daybreak. If there were to be a pop up thunderstorm during the night they would be SOL. lol
I'm still looking for the garlic juice and essential oil to make the homemade concoction for killing mites, so until i get that I'll just have to "wing" it. hahaha

 

[sourland]

Unless you actually see mites, I would guess that Shezadandy has come up with the most likely probable cause of the change in roosting behavior - it's just cooler outside.

 

[Eric 2016]

For sure. Don't jump to the conclusion of mites.