Chickens hate their coop?

[MaybeItsFine]

relevant information:
- 4 chickens (1barred rocks, 1 cinnamon queen, 2 Rhode Island reds)
- all of the chickens are 5 months old and three of them have started to lay within the last 2 weeks.
- Located in middle Tennessee, near Nashville
- using this chicken coop and run: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...WvuF84ZTA5R8qJrLoeTjXDSNvfDYafDsaAq8tEALw_wcB

I am brand new to chickens and I love them! Since moving the girls from the brooder to the coop when they were about 2.5 months old - spring was weird this year, everything has seemed pretty smooth. They’d go into their coop every night at dusk, sleep soundly and come out even their door opens at 5:15am. In the past 2 weeks or so, it has been HOT. To add to the general discomfort, the humidity is the worst I’ve ever experienced in my life (and I’m from southern Louisiana!) I noticed that the girls stopped going into their coop at night and instead sleep on the porch in their run. I did some research and read that chickens may avoid their coop because they felt it wasn’t clean enough out because of pests. I usually keep a pretty clean coop, but I went in and replaced all of the bedding. While cleaning, I kept an eye out for signs of bugs or mice but saw nothing. We’re forecasted for some strong thunderstorms tonight, so I put the chickens in the coop and manually shut their door. I threw some scratch in to maybe incentivize them to be okay with the coop again. I put a 10” fan in there with them too.

They are not happy. Particularly one of my RIRs has been squawking for 10 minutes straight. Does anyone have any ideas on why they hate it in there all of a sudden? How do I get them to go back in the coop at night? I’m not comfortable with them sleeping out in the open when there are cats that roam the neighborhood and the potential for raccoons (which I fortunately have not seen *knock on wood*)

Thank you for reading this far and for any *kind* advice you can offer!

Pictures of the coop interior and full structure attached.

 

[Mrs. K]

It is too hot in the coop. These type of coops generally do not have enough ventilation. If you could drill some holes in the front at the highest point, I think that would help. And then instead of the roost going the short way across, I would take those out, and add one either the long ways across, higher off the ground. I would actually put mine from one corner to the kitty-corner, so like a hypothesis on a right triangle - makes it longer so that when it is hot, the birds can spread out.

If you are not great at building, just get two cement blocks with the holes in them, set them upright one on each side and stick a pole or a tree branch in the top holes between them.

I see that add says 10-15 birds -do not fall for that. With the 4, this should work pretty fair. I would check how does the sun fall during the day - is there always shade somewhere inside the run? Heat can be very hard of chickens.

Mrs K

 

[MaybeItsFine]

It is too hot in the coop. These type of coops generally do not have enough ventilation. If you could drill some holes in the front at the highest point, I think that would help. And then instead of the roost going the short way across, I would take those out, and add one either the long ways across, higher off the ground. I would actually put mine from one corner to the kitty-corner, so like a hypothesis on a right triangle - makes it longer so that when it is hot, the birds can spread out.

If you are not great at building, just get two cement blocks with the holes in them, set them upright one on each side and stick a pole or a tree branch in the top holes between them.

I see that add says 10-15 birds -do not fall for that. With the 4, this should work pretty fair. I would check how does the sun fall during the day - is there always shade somewhere inside the run? Heat can be very hard of chickens.

Mrs K

Hi! I bought a jigsaw the other day specifically to cut some more windows for them. I unfortunately don’t have any shade trees nearby since the land was recently developed, but I do have a shade cloth that covers the wall of the run where the sun is strongest.

To make sure I understand, the new roost should run perpendicularly to the current roosts? I should be able to make that happen. I really appreciate your help. I love these chickens so much - I just want them to be happy!

 

[Mrs. K]

I am not sure about should, but that is how I would do it. In mine I set my roost on the diagonal as that moves them away from the walls. And higher off the ground. That would allow air flow under them too.

 

[Tonyroo]

Your windows are not situated to allow hot airflow to leave the coop. It's probably really hot in there at night for them.

The tall wall inside the coop needs a cut out of 2×6 across the wall 2 inch below the roof line.

Or if you have a 2 inch hole punch for a drill, you can drill holes along the wall from one end to the other just below the roof.

Hot air rises so ventilation needs to be placed at the highest point in a structure. Should be an easy fix. You can also leave a digital temperature reader in the coop to see if the ventilation needs further adjusting.

 

[Jasfarm]

I agree with what others have said. More ventilation is most likely needed. I will also add my Buff Orp usually sleeps in the coop, but with this heat, she has been sleeping in the run with the 11 other hens/pullets who have never slept in the coop.

However, our run is protected with hardware cloth, electric fencing, Stella polls for digging predator deterrent, and motion sensor lights.

Best of luck! And such a pretty coop!

 

[Moodleroni]

I have the exact same coop & did exactly what others have suggested, I removed the smaller bars and affixed a longer bar going from the access door to the window in the back. I agree, they are probably too hot in there. Mine do the same thing sometimes and end up going inside once they are cooled down. I also have water in there for them.

 

[MaybeItsFine]

Your windows are not situated to allow hot airflow to leave the coop. It's probably really hot in there at night for them.

The tall wall inside the coop needs a cut out of 2×6 across the wall 2 inch below the roof line.

Or if you have a 2 inch hole punch for a drill, you can drill holes along the wall from one end to the other just below the roof.

Hot air rises so ventilation needs to be placed at the highest point in a structure. Should be an easy fix. You can also leave a digital temperature reader in the coop to see if the ventilation needs further adjusting.

Thank you! The dimensions for the cut are really helpful.

 

[MaybeItsFine]

I agree with what others have said. More ventilation is most likely needed. I will also add my Buff Orp usually sleeps in the coop, but with this heat, she has been sleeping in the run with the 11 other hens/pullets who have never slept in the coop.

However, our run is protected with hardware cloth, electric fencing, Stella polls for digging predator deterrent, and motion sensor lights.

Best of luck! And such a pretty coop!

Thank you! I spent way too much time decorating it!