I have 3 coops, an A-Frame I built myself, a coop kit I bought on eBay, and a brand new, just completed 4 x 8 coop I also built all by myself. My 9 grown up chickens have been using the eBay coop as their "home" - but some of the hens like to lay eggs in the A-Frame coop nest boxes. The two Lakenvelder sisters I bought from a BYCer who was downsizing her flock also occasionally sleep in the A-Frame, because that was the "quarantine/confinement" coop I used when I brought them home. But sometimes one or both of them will sleep in the eBay coop with the others.
Then I bought six chicks and two ducklings, and when they were 9 weeks old, I moved the chicks out to the eBay coop because it has an attached, covered pen. The grown up chickens have been visiting the brand new coop as I constructed it, and I wanted them to move into it. They could no longer get into the eBay coop, so they were frustrated. They gathered on top of the covered pen and peeked into the window inside, clucking about not getting access.
I hand carried each chicken to the new coop for two nights. The new coop has an automatic, light sensing door which has been closing long after the chickens had been settling in the eBay coop for the night. (Like an extended, operational test, I let it work so i could guage its settings.) On the third night, the chickens put themselves to bed in the new coop. Except for the Lakenvelder sisters, who decided they'd just rather go to bed in the A-Frame, thank you very much.
Then I make sure the six chicks have all gone inside the eBay coop from the attached pen, and I close their pop door and latch it.
The ducks have been unwilling to "go to bed" until well after dark. They tend to patrol the run for a long time, then finally they go into the bottom, penned section of the A-Frame. The chickens sleep upstairs, the ducks sleep downstairs. (Even though I built a duck house for them, too.) Then I lock the door to the A-Frame, locking in the ducks and 2 chickens.
Last night, I went out to try to shoo the ducks into the A-Frame when *I* wanted to go to bed. I checked the upstairs and found only one Lakenvelder sister. Hmmmmm. So I took my flashlight and peered through the window into the new coop and it looked like I was short two chickens. Uh oh. Oh lordy, I waited too long, something must have gotten them and I didn't even hear any ruckus!
Heart pounding, I went to the people door of the new coop and opened it to count and name the chickens on the roosts: Carl the rooster, Matilda, Lacey, Bernadette, Rebecca, Buffy..... oh, Millicent the Lakenvelder was on the floor by the feeder, not on the roost, so she decided to sleep in the new coop with the others. That's eight of the nine Big Chickens, counting Minerva in the A-Frame. Where's Greta?
Maybe Greta decided to check out the duck house the ducks haven't been using? Back into the run I go, with my flashlight. Noop, Greta isn't in the duck house.
The ducks start following me around, quacking quietly, wondering what's up. Where could Greta be? Oh please don't let me have lost a chicken! Greta has always been the last hen to go inside at night.... but the automatic door always closed a good 15-20 minutes after even Greta would settle in the old coop. Could she have gotten OUT of the run?
Finally, I got down on my knees and peered under the duck house, then swept the flashlight beam under the new coop. Both are set on concrete blocks; the coop has hardware cloth completely securing three sides; the fourth side is open into the run. I designed it that way, because we have really hot summers here and I thought the chickens might enjoy a shady, secure place to get out of the sun.
There's Greta! Under the coop. Sound asleep. Far enough back so I wouldn't be able to reach in and get her.
This morning everybody gathered together to greet me at the gate for the morning Treat Session before I left for work, and Greta seemed none the worse for her Under Coop Sleep.
Hopefully, she'll make it into the coop on her own, tonight. I'm going to go out there at dusk before the automatic door closes just to make sure Greta doesn't try to make Under Coop Sleeping a nightly event.
Oh, and I go out to the run and coops several times an evening now that it's not getting dark until 8:30 p.m. I didn't want anyone to think I was an absentee Mom just because I installed an automatic door on the new coop!
Then I bought six chicks and two ducklings, and when they were 9 weeks old, I moved the chicks out to the eBay coop because it has an attached, covered pen. The grown up chickens have been visiting the brand new coop as I constructed it, and I wanted them to move into it. They could no longer get into the eBay coop, so they were frustrated. They gathered on top of the covered pen and peeked into the window inside, clucking about not getting access.
I hand carried each chicken to the new coop for two nights. The new coop has an automatic, light sensing door which has been closing long after the chickens had been settling in the eBay coop for the night. (Like an extended, operational test, I let it work so i could guage its settings.) On the third night, the chickens put themselves to bed in the new coop. Except for the Lakenvelder sisters, who decided they'd just rather go to bed in the A-Frame, thank you very much.
Then I make sure the six chicks have all gone inside the eBay coop from the attached pen, and I close their pop door and latch it.
The ducks have been unwilling to "go to bed" until well after dark. They tend to patrol the run for a long time, then finally they go into the bottom, penned section of the A-Frame. The chickens sleep upstairs, the ducks sleep downstairs. (Even though I built a duck house for them, too.) Then I lock the door to the A-Frame, locking in the ducks and 2 chickens.
Last night, I went out to try to shoo the ducks into the A-Frame when *I* wanted to go to bed. I checked the upstairs and found only one Lakenvelder sister. Hmmmmm. So I took my flashlight and peered through the window into the new coop and it looked like I was short two chickens. Uh oh. Oh lordy, I waited too long, something must have gotten them and I didn't even hear any ruckus!
Heart pounding, I went to the people door of the new coop and opened it to count and name the chickens on the roosts: Carl the rooster, Matilda, Lacey, Bernadette, Rebecca, Buffy..... oh, Millicent the Lakenvelder was on the floor by the feeder, not on the roost, so she decided to sleep in the new coop with the others. That's eight of the nine Big Chickens, counting Minerva in the A-Frame. Where's Greta?
Maybe Greta decided to check out the duck house the ducks haven't been using? Back into the run I go, with my flashlight. Noop, Greta isn't in the duck house.
The ducks start following me around, quacking quietly, wondering what's up. Where could Greta be? Oh please don't let me have lost a chicken! Greta has always been the last hen to go inside at night.... but the automatic door always closed a good 15-20 minutes after even Greta would settle in the old coop. Could she have gotten OUT of the run?
Finally, I got down on my knees and peered under the duck house, then swept the flashlight beam under the new coop. Both are set on concrete blocks; the coop has hardware cloth completely securing three sides; the fourth side is open into the run. I designed it that way, because we have really hot summers here and I thought the chickens might enjoy a shady, secure place to get out of the sun.
There's Greta! Under the coop. Sound asleep. Far enough back so I wouldn't be able to reach in and get her.
This morning everybody gathered together to greet me at the gate for the morning Treat Session before I left for work, and Greta seemed none the worse for her Under Coop Sleep.
Hopefully, she'll make it into the coop on her own, tonight. I'm going to go out there at dusk before the automatic door closes just to make sure Greta doesn't try to make Under Coop Sleeping a nightly event.
Oh, and I go out to the run and coops several times an evening now that it's not getting dark until 8:30 p.m. I didn't want anyone to think I was an absentee Mom just because I installed an automatic door on the new coop!
