Chickens not roosting in the coop

[WVduckchick]

No frost bite?

For the most part, no. A couple of the roosters with larger combs have gotten a few dark tips, but i don't show these birds, and it doesn't really hurt them, so i don't worry much about it.

I don't mean to sound heartless. I do love my birds. I've swapped pens, thinking maybe it was one particular coop. Nope, it's the birds choice. The girls go inside to lay their eggs and raise their babies, but once they are of age, they stay outside.

 

[RodNTN]

Thank you for posting. Even with the 12 degree weather this is still an issue. More so from the weather. They are in a secure run up on a beam. Every night we still force them into the coop and shut the door. I’m hoping once we’ve hidden or blocked the beam they will return to the roosting bar in the coop. It’s clean and safe in there and nothing traumatizing has happened in there.
Thanks much.

You're welcome!

 

[Bigbluefrog]

My seven month old chickens have been roosting on a higher beam outside in the run. Now that it gets cold I have to go out, pick all 8 of them off one by one, put them in the hen house and lock the door. The light wasn’t enough to attract them. I’ll go through this for 3-4 days, they’ll get the message -for a while and when I think they’ve got it now, we’ll go through it again.

Mine are doing this! They were roosting in the coop. I even worked hard to get everything right. Then they found the beam in the run!
So I remove them and put them in the coop. Then in the nest boxes.
So I block the nest boxes.
Manually put them back.
I don’t want to remove support beams and one is handy for hanging the food.
I may add wood to block beam.
Seems like the ladies want a new coop! Or just the run! The run was wrapped in plastic because we got a few below zero days quick after 50 degrees. Gives them more wiggle room too.
Gotta move the ladies.... silly birds

 

[Bigbluefrog]

I have some that insist on sleeping outside, open air coop. So I let them.
Yes, that's snow on the ground, in the background. I did add the tarp as a partial wind-break.
View attachment 1209157

All of my other breeds go inside their coops, but for some reason, my seramas sleep outside.

Where are you located?
We are in Wisconsin and my birds are doing the same.

I am getting tired of moving them.
I plan to build a bigger coop next year or the year after.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Where are you located?
We are in Wisconsin and my birds are doing the same.

I am getting tired of moving them.
I plan to build a bigger coop next year or the year after.

I am in central Wisconsin. Is your coop really small? They are talking high winds next week with wind chills from -10 and lower. Your birds will get frostbite sleeping out in the elements. If you can block the winds it will help.

 

[Bigbluefrog]

I am in central Wisconsin. Is your coop really small? They are talking high winds next week with wind chills from -10 and lower. Your birds will get frostbite sleeping out in the elements. If you can block the winds it will help.

I am in central Wisconsin. Is your coop really small? They are talking high winds next week with wind chills from -10 and lower. Your birds will get frostbite sleeping out in the elements. If you can block the winds it will help.

I am in central Wisconsin. The coop is small but adequate about 4 sq feet per bird. I have 7 hens. The coop is 7.5 feet by 4.5 feet. Approximately!
Or close to 36 sq feet.
The run is covered in plastic. I wanted to give them more space that is protected. They free range most days. They are not fans of snow! I am blocking the high roost in the run as it was meant more for support and not a perch.
I manually put them in the coop. They complain but hey I am top dog here!
Chickens are odd

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I am in central Wisconsin. The coop is small but adequate about 4 sq feet per bird. I have 7 hens. The coop is 7.5 feet by 4.5 feet. Approximately!
Or close to 36 sq feet.
The run is covered in plastic. I wanted to give them more space that is protected. They free range most days. They are not fans of snow! I am blocking the high roost in the run as it was meant more for support and not a perch.
I manually put them in the coop. They complain but hey I am top dog here!
Chickens are odd

If the run is protected and it isn't drafty they may be okay. Here most big combs get frostbite and occasionally some toes no matter what I do.

Keep stuffing them in there and they should start to go in themselves hopefully.

 

[Bigbluefrog]

They used to roost in the coop until they discovered the support beam in the run.
The coop is really well made I made some adjustments.
If I don’t rebuild the coop, I plan to redo the nesting area next year.

 

[Bigbluefrog]

If the run is protected and it isn't drafty they may be okay. Here most big combs get frostbite and occasionally some toes no matter what I do.

Keep stuffing them in there and they should start to go in themselves hopefully.

Frost bite of the toes?!
Oh no, how do I know if they have that?
I can add heat if that makes a difference.
Right now the heat is on a timer.
A few hours before bed, a few hours at midnight and a few in the morning.
I wasn’t planning to use heat but it got bitterly cold this week... so this is my way of sorta heating them.
I use an infrared ceramic heater. no light. And the heater is hung 3 ways securely with a guard on it.
I do have a light installed. Also has a guard on it.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I don't use heat. I don't like the risk. Using wide roosts can help to make sure toes are covered on the roosts. If toes get frostbite they eventually turn black, shrivel up and break off at some point. This cold snap is nothing. We get way worse many years. I'm hoping we skip that this year.