Bedtime Drama???

[mldlm]

Backstory: I have, from the beginning, gone out to the coop just at sunset. I go inside the coop and call the girls in, close the pop door so they don’t go back out, and wait for them to settle in on their roosts before I turn out the light (which I turn on about an hour before dark, to bring them in) in the coop and leave them to sleep.
Having said that, I realize that the pecking order is a very real thing, but they get up on the roosts and the top chicken will start pecking. Tonight, she started pecking at their combs! I mean grabbing on and pulling. It is like she is trying to arrange them, but changes her mind midway. How do I help to alleviate the drama? Should I just close the pop door, turn off the light, and leave and let them work it out? It is dark in the coop without the light and I am concerned about them finding their way on to the roosts. Color me confused and frustrated…lol. Any ideas? Thanks!

 

[Ridgerunner]

It is dark in the coop without the light and I am concerned about them finding their way on to the roosts.

One window but it is right by a street light so we have a shade pulled down.

The one window I am speaking of does let in light, but maybe too much as it faces a street security light…

I'm a little confused by these posts. I'm not sure how dark it really is in there.

I have, from the beginning, gone out to the coop just at sunset. I go inside the coop and call the girls in, close the pop door so they don’t go back out, and wait for them to settle in on their roosts before I turn out the light (which I turn on about an hour before dark, to bring them in) in the coop and leave them to sleep.

So you are not giving them a chance to go in on their own. You don't know what they would do if you left them to their own devices. I'm not sure what combo of ideas you are going to try but the update will be interesting.

It is not unusual for them to squabble as they are putting themselves to bed. The ones highest in the pecking order get to sleep where they want to and have a say in who sleeps next to them. It's not just the top hen, if one outranks another she can boss her around. Some can be fairly laidback about it, some can jealously protect their rights. They can peck each other or knock them off of the roosts. Each flock is different and the dynamics can change as flock members change.

The shade blocking the street light is probably a good idea. Too much light can cause problems as they need their dark downtime. It is also possible that street light is messing with their instinct to go in as it gets darker. It will be interesting to see what happens when you give them a chance to put themselves to bed. Be patient when you try that.

How many hens do you have and what do your roosts look like? I'm not concerned with length of roost per bird but more can the ones getting picked on get away from the ones doing the picking? It is pretty normal for mine to arrange themselves with the ones highest in the pecking order in the preferred spot and the ones on the bottom in the far corner. The lower ones seem to have a hard time learning to go directly to where they will eventually wind up.

Do you have juveniles in there? Having immature pullets with mature hens can cause disruption. I've had bullies go out of their way to beat up juveniles on the roosts.

There is a lot of concern on this forum about the chickens roosting. As long as they are not sleeping in my nests and are somewhere predator safe I don't care where mine sleep. It's not going to hurt them. They will eventually work it out by themselves. But I do provide enough roosts so they can work it out themselves and all get a roost spot. I don't know if overcrowding on the roosts is part of your issue.

Looking forward to your update. Good luck!

 

[aart]

I would leave the light off and let them put themselves to 'bed'.
Are there any windows in the coop?

 

[mldlm]

Thank you for all the input! I love going out and putting them to bed at night. I am leaning toward an automatic coop door for the rare nights when I am not home to do so. I really need a door with a remote. My girls run is attached to the coop and the only way in to close the pop door is through the coop. But, with a remote, I can close it from outside the run and not have to go in the coop. That’s my think anyhow….lol. It amazes me how much time I spend thinking about chickens and their lives…lol

 

[Isabella6Storm4]

will they go into the coop at dusk by themselves? usually the fading light gives them enough time to get to the roosts. before i had an electric door i would just go out when it got dark and close the door.

 

[SamLockwood]

If nobody's doing any serious damage let them sort it out.

My coop & run have motion-sensor "night lights" to help my mixed flock get sorted at night as well as give them some help against predators if need be. Plus the coops are predominantly white (including the carbonite roofs). They can see pretty well after dark if they need to move around, and the lights shut off after 15 seconds without movement.

They still have roosting tiffs once or twice a week. Somebody decides to shake things up and there's clucking, b-goking, pecking, and this weird passive-aggressive thing some do where they just inch across the roosting bar, shove their head under the other bird, and either stay there until the other bird moves or they actually sometimes manage to shove their opponent off.

I haven't seen the comb-grabbing with the roost-offs, but I have seen it when they're arguing over nesting box space. Even with seven boxes for 17 hens they still all HAVE to use the same one on any given day.

 

[ChickNanny13]

You may want to consider "bringing them in" before it completely dark, let them arrange themselves before it goes completely dark and saves you from having to deal with the light. When I allowed "free ranging" my girls would always return to their Chicken House before it got dark, I'd close them up at that point. Worked for me ... IF you decide to do this, yours probably need to be trained .... Teach them the MealWorm Shake (mealworms in a container & shake), they'll come running when they figure out what they get. Pick a time to close them in, shake some mealworms in a container & close them up. Do this the same time every day.

 

[aart]

One window but it is right by a street light so we have a shade pulled down. It also keeps critters from looking in for spoils.

Wow, am surprised that someone in FL doesn't have a bunch of windows open for ventilation....then you'd have some natural light for them to put themselves to roost at night.

 

[mldlm]

I would leave the light off and let them put themselves to 'bed'.
Are there any windows in the coop?

One window but it is right by a street light so we have a shade pulled down. It also keeps critters from looking in for spoils.

 

[KyCoop]

The only time I intervene with their bed time nightly squabbles is when the leghorns lose their minds and try to keep the lower girls from even going in the coop. I let them work it out unless there is screaming and running out of the coop.