Chickens roosting outside coop, 2° weather coming

[pinkl72]

I have 4 large chickens 8-9 months old, brahma or wyandotte or mixed, 2 roosters, 1 hen, 1 questionable (hen head and hen tail with hackle feathers) who do not roost in a coop. There are 2 coops available to them but they prefer to roost outside on buckets. They originally roosted on an old sink setting next to the coop. We removed the sink, moved the coop there and added another door to the coop to make it more secure. So they scooted over to an old pallet. We built a large straw structure around the pallet added a roosting ladder inside and nesting boxes with a roof but the pallet was moved around and covered with straw so they moved over to some buckets next to the straw coop. So no one roosts in the straw coop but it's open and available. The rest of our flock roosts in a coop with 2 added on rooms with roosting ladders and is open for them to get in. So they have access to that structure too but choose to roost on the buckets outside. It will be 2⁰ in a few days with 20-30mph wind with gusts up to 50mph. The weather people say the rate the temperature drops will be dangerous. Should I physically put them in one of the coops? This is our first winter with chickens. We have a smaller coop with a small run where we are quarantining a rooster with wry neck; the whole flock was treated with amprolium for coccidiosis but we cant rule out injury causing the wry neck. Its 6 weeks later and he is better but still gets picked on if hes out with the flock. All this to say he has a heat lamp since he is not 100%. We also have eight 5month old silkies with a heat lamp in a separate fence. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[gimmie birdies]

YOU have to put them where you want them for a few nights. They will get it.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Do you have pics? When they don't prefer the coop it just means you need to make some coop modifications because they will always choose the coop vs. outdoors when looking for a safe high point to roost and huddle together for warmth. It's perfectly okay if it's not a big fancy operation so long as provides some basic needs. Can you make sure they have comfortable roosts, like 2x4's, high enough that it's more attractive than bucket's would be and what if you put an extension cord with a light out there so they'll go inside when it's getting dark. Then shut it off and lock them up.... Body heat will really help with those temps.

 

[Bockbagock]

I’ve come here because I have the same problem. Temps about to drop and my birds have never roosted in their coop either. We put 3 roosting poles in their run just for more places for them to hang out and they decided the highest one is the place to roost. Lol.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I’ve come here because I have the same problem. Temps about to drop and my birds have never roosted in their coop either. We put 3 roosting poles in their run just for more places for them to hang out and they decided the highest one is the place to roost. Lol.

Welcome to BYC!! This place has all the answers, it's been my go to for all sorts of nutty issues for 13years! Anyhow, do you have roosts that are sufficiently high in the coop and can you make remove anything higher in the run.... A pic would help some of the coop experts to identify slight modifications you might want to make as they are indeed better off in the coop, away from wind, etc, where they can "huddle." My coop has thick insulation so that I don't have to provide an electric heat source. Even just temporarily, strategically placing this stuff up against exterior walls until you can comfortably install it, can really help with heat and cooling.

 

[Bockbagock]

Welcome to BYC!! This place has all the answers, it's been my go to for all sorts of nutty issues for 13years! Anyhow, do you have roosts that are sufficiently high in the coop and can you make remove anything higher in the run.... A pic would help some of the coop experts to identify slight modifications you might want to make as they are indeed better off in the coop, away from wind, etc, where they can "huddle." My coop has thick insulation so that I don't have to provide an electric heat source. Even just temporarily, strategically placing this stuff up against exterior walls until you can comfortably install it, can really help with heat and cooling. View attachment 3353480

Thanks! Insulation is a great idea. My previous flock always slept on the roost in the coop. When we got rid of them, I wanted to deep clean the coop and let it sit for a while before getting new birds as we had previously had a mouse problem in the coop. My mom who is also my neighbor and who I share the hens with got more birds before that could happen. This flock for whatever reason only go in the coop during the day to lay eggs and hang out some. lol. Here are some pics of the coop and the run. I think the roost is high enough since my last flock slept on it, but once they’ve all laid their eggs they don’t go back inside. The highest roosting pole in the run is the one they all sleep on at night. They use those 3 poles a lot. They slept out there all last winter and did fine so I let them be, but these temps coming up are colder than anything we normally have and I don’t know if they could handle that. They are still molting too.

 

[pinkl72]

Do you have pics? When they don't prefer the coop it just means you need to make some coop modifications because they will always choose the coop vs. outdoors when looking for a safe high point to roost and huddle together for warmth. It's perfectly okay if it's not a big fancy operation so long as provides some basic needs. Can you make sure they have comfortable roosts, like 2x4's, high enough that it's more attractive than bucket's would be and what if you put an extension cord with a light out there so they'll go inside when it's getting dark. Then shut it off and lock them up.... Body heat will really help with those temps.

I have attached pictures of the outside of the straw coop, the roosting ladder on the inside left of the straw coop (didnt realize there was a hen laying at the time), the nesting boxes on the inside right of the straw coop (which they clearly don't use as evidenced by the picture of the roosting ladder), a shot that shows the inside of the wooden, original coop which they can go through to a roosting ladder and the security camera image which is shooting back into the wooden coop. Theres a tunnel that connects to another roosting ladder that is the same seen connected to the wooden coop. Hope this makes sense. I have more pictures if not.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

The straw coop looks cozy but I bet you could convince them to go into the wooden coopy by moving the roost bar away from the ventilation (it looks like the ventilation screen is right on them so they don't like that, it should be above their heads or just somehow not right on them,) keeping it as high as possible and removing any bars in the run that are higher than roosting bar in the coop. Then you might have to place them on the roost a few times until they get it. Good luck!!

 

[pinkl72]

The straw coop looks cozy but I bet you could convince them to go into the wooden coopy by moving the roost bar away from the ventilation (it looks like the ventilation screen is right on them so they don't like that, it should be above their heads or just somehow not right on them,) keeping it as high as possible and removing any bars in the run that are higher than roosting bar in the coop. Then you might have to place them on the roost a few times until they get it. Good luck!!

Thanks for the info. The screen is blocked with a wooden panel and pushed up against a building (I'm adding a picture to help explain). We scoot it out and open it for the summer but thought it would be too drafty for the winter. So maybe not enough ventilation? It's a screen bottom with straw and up off the ground about 2 feet so maybe we need to add ventilation higher? The spot they are roosting outside is maybe 18in high so the coop offers higher roosting options. We have never physically put them in a coop, so maybe we should try that? Thanks again for your help. This is all new to me, and I want to be a good steward of these feathery friends.

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

Welcome to BYC!! This place has all the answers, it's been my go to for all sorts of nutty issues for 13years! Anyhow, do you have roosts that are sufficiently high in the coop and can you make remove anything higher in the run.... A pic would help some of the coop experts to identify slight modifications you might want to make as they are indeed better off in the coop, away from wind, etc, where they can "huddle." My coop has thick insulation so that I don't have to provide an electric heat source. Even just temporarily, strategically placing this stuff up against exterior walls until you can comfortably install it, can really help with heat and cooling. View attachment 3353480

My hens LOVE styrofoam for pecking... So make sure they can't pick at it. Don't need a fancy wall, just something to mask it. Even a garbage bag wall taped up to make a surface will hide the lovely treat that is styrofoam.