Can they stay out in the run at night in the cold?

[JanKuziel]

My hens do not want to go inside at night even tho temps are dipping down into the low 30's at night sometimes. They want to stay on the perch in their run. It's like herding cats to physically place them one by one inside the coop. The run is pretty critter proof and would take quite a lot to get inside.. (we followed the suggestions made by The Chicken Chick for predator proofing) That said, is it really ok to leave the coop door open and let them decide if they want to go inside at night? I have waited til midnight some nights to see if they will go in and they are still outside on their perch! They huddle together and seem quite content.

I do think my bossy hen is picking on the others at night and that's a big reason the other 2 do not want to be inside with her. Saddles have been applied.

Do any of you let your hens decide at night?

Thanks so much!

 

[DobieLover]

My hens do not want to go inside at night even tho temps are dipping down into the low 30's at night sometimes. They want to stay on the perch in their run. It's like herding cats to physically place them one by one inside the coop. The run is pretty critter proof and would take quite a lot to get inside.. (we followed the suggestions made by The Chicken Chick for predator proofing) That said, is it really ok to leave the coop door open and let them decide if they want to go inside at night? I have waited til midnight some nights to see if they will go in and they are still outside on their perch! They huddle together and seem quite content.

I do think my bossy hen is picking on the others at night and that's a big reason the other 2 do not want to be inside with her. Saddles have been applied.

Do any of you let your hens decide at night?

Thanks so much!

Can you post pictures of your setup? What dimensions are the coop?
How old are the birds in question and how many?

 

[JanKuziel]

Can you post pictures of your setup? What dimensions are the coop?
How old are the birds in question and how many?

I have only 3 hens.. one is a bantam. Coop is attached to the run and run is 6'wide by 9'long. Don't have a pic handy. Plenty of room for them in the run and coop. Everything is secure with hardwire and clasps with carabineers. The run has a curved section of hardwire stapled to the bottom and buried in the dirt with heavy paving stones on top all the way around. So nothing is digging under.
I feel very secure with the run but just wonder if it's advisable to let them stay out in the cold nights.

 

[Galeann]

Our coop is secure in a very well secured run. After anxiety over making the electronic coop door work properly about 2 years ago, I gave up on it. I decided to let my chickens decide. So far so good (knock on wood) my chickens have not suffered a predator attack. They take themselves to roost. Sometimes during warmer nights, they will decide to sleep on their roosts out in their run. I live in a rural area. There are coyotes, stray dogs, stray cats, raccoons, possums, owls, hawks, buzzards, and I'm sure a few others I'm not aware of.

 

[RainbowHen]

I occasionally have the same issue. I just shove mine in the coop and call it a night. I have 6 however lol

 

[RainbowHen]

Mine just tried again tonight

 

[Galeann]

Pretty flock

 

[NatJ]

is it really ok to leave the coop door open and let them decide if they want to go inside at night?

If they are safe from predators, they are probably fine in most weather.

If the run has a roof, then they will be fine even when it's raining or snowing.

Good ventilation is very important, and the run probably has extremely good ventilation!

I would probably let them choose for themselves, although I also think it should be easy to pick up 3 chickens in the dark and stuff them inside the coop if you prefer to have them sleep inside. (After dark, they usually stay put and are easy to grab.)

 

[JanKuziel]

If they are safe from predators, they are probably fine in most weather.

If the run has a roof, then they will be fine even when it's raining or snowing.

Good ventilation is very important, and the run probably has extremely good ventilation!

I would probably let them choose for themselves, although I also think it should be easy to pick up 3 chickens in the dark and stuff them inside the coop if you prefer to have them sleep inside. (After dark, they usually stay put and are easy to grab.)

hahaha.. yes it's easy to grab them but they don't want to stay inside.. so as I grab the next one, the first one comes back out. It's a game of tag. lol But yes.. it has a roof and one length now has sturdy plastic stapled on it to keep the wind off them.

 

[JanKuziel]

Mine just tried again tonight View attachment 2399399

Pretty girls!