Are my girls cold????

[Rookie chicken gal]

Hi Friends!!

Just wondering about my hens getting cold at night? We live in Northern Nevada and it gets freezing here....so I had my hubs build a box to put on top of the coop bc this is where they roost at night, at the peaK of the coop. I made sure he cut a extra tall door but they want nothing to do with it! The lil s*#$ sleep on the flat part at the end of the coop right next to the door ..‍ So my question is will they be smart enough to go inside when it gets really cold with wind and snow or they will never like the new homemade, warm, cozy, box . Thanks friends! I worry about my girls

 

[Peepsi]

Hi Friends!!

Just wondering about my hens getting cold at night? We live in Northern Nevada and it gets freezing here....so I had my hubs build a box to put on top of the coop bc this is where they roost at night, at the peaK of the coop. I made sure he cut a extra tall door but they want nothing to do with it! The lil s*#$ sleep on the flat part at the end of the coop right next to the door ..‍ So my question is will they be smart enough to go inside when it gets really cold with wind and snow or they will never like the new homemade, warm, cozy, box . Thanks friends! I worry about my girls

Remember, chickens have a natural down coat, the same thick heavy ones you buy for hundreds of dollars so you can go out in the snow. The hens are not cold. As long as they don't get wet or drafty, they'll be fine. If they get cold sleeping next to the door, they'll move. My chooks sleep right next to the open hardware cloth in the run, even though they have a roost in the coop, next to solid walls that's far warmer. I figure they'll move when they get cold.

 

[DobieLover]

Hi Friends!!

Just wondering about my hens getting cold at night? We live in Northern Nevada and it gets freezing here....so I had my hubs build a box to put on top of the coop bc this is where they roost at night, at the peaK of the coop. I made sure he cut a extra tall door but they want nothing to do with it! The lil s*#$ sleep on the flat part at the end of the coop right next to the door ..‍ So my question is will they be smart enough to go inside when it gets really cold with wind and snow or they will never like the new homemade, warm, cozy, box . Thanks friends! I worry about my girls

Pictures of your coop inside and outside will help to determine why they aren't sleeping INSIDE the (hopefully) predator proof secure coop at night. Is the area where they are sleeping at night secure from predators?

 

[Rookie chicken gal]

It is completely predator proof. We have a small coop as we only have two hens but we have covered the entire coop inside a 50 foot run that is also completely covered. Maybe it’s just not cold enough for them yet. I know it’s cold to me at night and early morning...

 

[DobieLover]

I know it’s cold to me at night and early morning...

Yes, but you are not a bird!
Pictures of your set up will help immensely.

 

[Rookie chicken gal]

Remember, chickens have a natural down coat, the same thick heavy ones you buy for hundreds of dollars so you can go out in the snow. The hens are not cold. As long as they don't get wet or drafty, they'll be fine. If they get cold sleeping next to the door, they'll move. My chooks sleep right next to the open hardware cloth in the run, even though they have a roost in the coop, next to solid walls that's far warmer. I figure they'll move when they get cold.

Thanks!!! That is what I am hoping for

 

[CindyinSD]

If you haven’t had them sleep consistently in the coop, you may have to teach them to sleep there. It’s been my experience that when my growing chicks first start going out into their grow-out coop yard, I have to put them in for the first two or three nights. After that, they learn to prefer sleeping inside. It’s not only warmer; it’s also safer from owls and other predators.

If the coop is a generous size, you might consider confining them inside for a week or two so they imprint on it as theirs. We’re in SD, a mile high, so it’s a good deal colder here than I suspect it generally gets for you.

I don’t let my chickens or young turkeys sleep outside any time of the year because of predators. The older turkeys don’t care what I think, but they’re tough as he!! and roost too high for any nocturnal predators big enough to take them, to reach them. It’s a calculated risk. The turkey hens like sleeping on the chicken coop, but will choose to sleep inside if the weather is unusually horrendous.

Anyway, I would make them go in, but that (depending on just how cold & windy your weather gets) is dependent on your own management style.

 

[Mrs. K]

Don't think warm, as in keep my chickens warm. That almost always leads to poor ventilation, which makes them damp and cold.

In cold weather think dry and wind block. If they are dry and can get out of the wind, they are warm.

Mrs K

 

[50-45-1]

This box, does it have any windows? A chicken sees nothing in darkness. Also what are the dimensions of the box, measurement from roost to walls,height from roost to roof? All of this stuff can be relevant to answer your question correctly.
Either your chickens need to be taught to roost there, or there is something they dont like about it.

 

[SilkieLover7]

If you can, you can use a heater if you have access to electricity outside, but you have to be careful with it. I use it for my hens. But, you really don't need the heater unless it is below 0.