Good morning everyone, I am new here and have a question that I can not find the answer for (rare since I found every thing else)
Basic run down so you know their history:
I am new to my chickens, I am raising 8 chickens since they were 1 day old, they are 15 weeks old this week. I have 6 Isa Browns and 2 Ameraucanas, and we live in Michigan. I kept them in the brooder, 120 g water trough, until they were almost fully feathers, it stayed above 60° at night and 100% spoiled.
They are in a store bought coop marketed for 10 chickens. Has a nesting area, a foraging area and 3 nesting boxes. At night they are kept in the nesting area. I let them out to the foraging area around 7 am and they are kept in that area til 3 o'clock in the afternoon when I let out to roam the yard (about 2 acers). They stay together in a group and find there own way back to the nesting area at dusk. When I am out in the yard they are under my feet. Ok that's the history of my girls
My question: While in the nesting box at night they are huddled together in a tight group in a corner - Is that normal? There are 2 roosting bars and a 3 inch edge on the nesting boxes. There is plenty of room and stays warm at night (stays around 70°), warmer in the nesting area if it's a sunny 80°- 90° day. There is a vent screen that I can open or close. It's always open during the day and closed most nights. (If it's important they huddle on the far side away from the vent screen and up against the door I use to check on them) I read somewhere that they can be afraid of any light at night (including moon light?) I have motion lights in the yard near the coop to ward off any unwanted guests, it is faced away from the coop. But I have started keeping the vent screen closed at night in case it is related to any light (very minimal as I still need a flash light to do a head count before closing up the coop and foraging area at dusk) I read they should spend their sleeping hours on the roosting bars or in the nesting boxes. There is ample amount of bedding in the nesting boxes and a thin layer on the rest of the floor in the inner coop area. The roosting bars are about 6 inches up from the extra area in the coop and they have around 2 foot head clearance. I have removed the bedding on the floor area were they huddle at to see if it discourages them from huddling in that corner. It has made no difference.
There - Long explanation but I wanted to include (or exclude) any options I have tried o help keep so many "Have you tried this?" responses. Please forgive any tardiness in getting back to responses as I am only able to get on the forum every few days.
Thanks all for helping me out.
Basic run down so you know their history:
I am new to my chickens, I am raising 8 chickens since they were 1 day old, they are 15 weeks old this week. I have 6 Isa Browns and 2 Ameraucanas, and we live in Michigan. I kept them in the brooder, 120 g water trough, until they were almost fully feathers, it stayed above 60° at night and 100% spoiled.
They are in a store bought coop marketed for 10 chickens. Has a nesting area, a foraging area and 3 nesting boxes. At night they are kept in the nesting area. I let them out to the foraging area around 7 am and they are kept in that area til 3 o'clock in the afternoon when I let out to roam the yard (about 2 acers). They stay together in a group and find there own way back to the nesting area at dusk. When I am out in the yard they are under my feet. Ok that's the history of my girlsMy question: While in the nesting box at night they are huddled together in a tight group in a corner - Is that normal? There are 2 roosting bars and a 3 inch edge on the nesting boxes. There is plenty of room and stays warm at night (stays around 70°), warmer in the nesting area if it's a sunny 80°- 90° day. There is a vent screen that I can open or close. It's always open during the day and closed most nights. (If it's important they huddle on the far side away from the vent screen and up against the door I use to check on them) I read somewhere that they can be afraid of any light at night (including moon light?) I have motion lights in the yard near the coop to ward off any unwanted guests, it is faced away from the coop. But I have started keeping the vent screen closed at night in case it is related to any light (very minimal as I still need a flash light to do a head count before closing up the coop and foraging area at dusk) I read they should spend their sleeping hours on the roosting bars or in the nesting boxes. There is ample amount of bedding in the nesting boxes and a thin layer on the rest of the floor in the inner coop area. The roosting bars are about 6 inches up from the extra area in the coop and they have around 2 foot head clearance. I have removed the bedding on the floor area were they huddle at to see if it discourages them from huddling in that corner. It has made no difference.
There - Long explanation but I wanted to include (or exclude) any options I have tried o help keep so many "Have you tried this?" responses. Please forgive any tardiness in getting back to responses as I am only able to get on the forum every few days.
Thanks all for helping me out.
