Bullying or laying hormones? Coop behavior with new layer

[RIRgal]

I have 5 RIR'S that are 18 weeks old. Ever since early May they have lived outside and they figured out the automatic door immediately and have been good at going in at dark before it closes. My one girl started laying 3 or 4 days ago. For the last 2 nights before bed I have came and found her at the top of the ramp huddled to the outside of the door after it closed:'( When I open it, I basically have to force her in there. Do the other girls not want her in there because she started laying? Or is it her, not wanting to go in?

TIA
Amanda

 

[aart]

I have an Omlet Eglu Cube, it holds 10 small breed/8 medium/6 large breed.

So 'they' say...but....I'd say, not so much.
It's probably getting crowded and hot in there.

 

[drdoct]

I'm not sure, but that looks small. Since they're protected anyway it probably doesn't matter where they sleep. I raised a Cockerel with my first flock so he took care of any mature pullets that started laying. Now I have 6 pullets and 3 have started laying. The other 3 are still ostracized but once they lay, they're part of the old flock. Like the next day. Our first layer became top of the pecking order with the Cockerel's backing.

I don't think I would want to sleep inside that plastic box at night. It doesn't look like there is much ventilation at all.

 

[3KillerBs]

from the Sandhills. You're probably not too far from me.

Hi, thanks for the welcome! I have an Omlet Eglu Cube, it holds 10 small breed/8 medium/6 large breed. It has a separate part inside for laying. It's been 90s(f)/ high 80s during the day. Central North Carolina region. I will try to watch them tonight.

There may be vents, but, put a thermometer in there to see what the temps are inside.

Sadly, the manufacturers make wildly exaggerated claims based on legal minimums for commercial birds kept in intensively managed systems.

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

4 hens

• 16 square feet in the coop. 4'x4' is the only really practical build for this given the common dimensions of lumber.
• 4 feet of roost
• 40 square feet in the run. 4'x10' or 5'x8'. 6'x6' is a bit too small, 6'x8' is more generous and easier to build than 5'x8'.
• 4 square feet of ventilation. A 2'x2' window is theoretically enough, but in practice doesn't create any air FLOW so better to spread the venting around (and even better to exceed the minimums, especially in warm climates).
• 2 nest boxes, to give the hens a choice

6 hens

• 24 square feet in the coop. 4'x6' is the only really practical build for this given the common dimensions of lumber. If you can't walk into it, put the access door in the middle of the long side to make sure you can reach all areas of the coop because a stubborn chicken WILL press itself into/lay an egg in the back corner where you can't reach.
• 6 feet of roost
• 60 square feet in the run. 6'x10' or 8'x8'.
• 6 square feet of ventilation.
• 2 nest boxes, to give the hens a choice

Here in the Steamy Southeast that 1 square foot of ventilation per bird is usually inadequate unless the coop is located in DEEP, natural shade. I find that I need 2-3 times that much ventilation just to keep the coop under 100F on a 90F day.

Here's my article on hot climate chicken-keeping: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/

And here's my article on coop ventilation: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

 

[aart]

Hard to say, flock dynamics do change once laying commences.
You'd have to spend and hour or two watching the nightly ritual to see what's going on.

How big is your coop, in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would help here.

Oh, and.... Welcome to BYC! @RIRgal
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[aart]

There's never been any issues with the size. There is ventilation along the sides where heat rises and there are rectangle vents in the rear and front.

Now that they are laying, they may need more space.
Also, once they start laying, their poops triple in size, increasing the ammonia.
There may be vents, but, put a thermometer in there to see what the temps are inside.

Central North Carolina

Here's how to add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

watching. I have pullets that should be ready to lay so am interested in what folks have to say.

 

[RIRgal]

Hard to say, flock dynamics do change once laying commences.
You'd have to spend and hour or two watching the nightly ritual to see what's going on.

How big is your coop, in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would help here.

Oh, and.... Welcome to BYC! @RIRgal
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 3193110

Hi, thanks for the welcome! I have an Omlet Eglu Cube, it holds 10 small breed/8 medium/6 large breed. It has a separate part inside for laying. It's been 90s(f)/ high 80s during the day. Central North Carolina region. I will try to watch them tonight.

 

[Paz]

Chickens like to sleep in the highest place possible. It looks like there’s a nice high pole to sit on in the outer cage…she probably thinks it’s better than the crowded box. Maybe the others annoy her or something, but I don’t think that’s a problem. I used to have a rooster who would sleep at the second part of the cage (it’s a two parted 4x3 meter cage, with a connecting door), he would sleep there and all the hens would sleep in the first part, because he wanted to sleep higher, and in the place where he slept, most of the hens couldn’t reach.
And trust me, they didn’t pick on him or anything, he was a king.

 

[AnnPann]

Sounds like they could be hot and want more space, and she's getting pushed out. I have a Cube as well, that I've had to modify to fit my preferences. It's frustrating to have to modify such an expensive coop, but here's some ideas you could try for very low cost.

1) If it's hot (I'd recommend a temp sensor in there to monitor it), swap out the 3 grey vent covers with hardware cloth. Just unscrew, cut the HWC to size, then reattach the cut HWC using provided screws and washers. Keep track of the vent covers - you'll want to add them back in winter. Like this:

2) Remove the nesting box divider to give them more space to sleep. It can easily hold all 5 with space to spread out on hot nights - if you take out that divider. You can add wooden roosting bars to give them a more natural place to roost. I have 4 adults hens in here (2 EE, 1 Orp and a very large barred rock). Not shown in this photo, but I even took out the grey bars and its even easier to clean now since no poop gets stuck between the bars. Like this:

3) Setup a nesting box in the shade in your well-protected run. You don't want them spending any time in the Cube when it's hot. It can easily get over 100 degrees in there. I have mine lay in a cat litter box in the run. Lock them out with the pop door first thing in the morning, then you can open up the back/egg doors to let in more air during the day. Spend your efforts keeping the run cool during the day, and then work on cooling the Cube down in the evening if you need to. If mine is over 95 at sunset, I take out the tray temporarily and hose off the *inside* which will cool it more than 10 degrees instantly (and dry fast b/c its plastic).