Chickens roosting outside henhouse at night

[aart]

This discussion is exactly what I was looking for. One [newbe] question though, should the food and water be kept outside in the run, or should it be placed in the coop?

Welcome to BYC!
To answer your question(kinda)...it depends...
on the space available inside coop, what your climate is, how well your run is protected from weather and predators, what is easier for you to access, how early you can let them out of coop... etc, etc, etc.
I keep mine inside.

 

[Coop Z-ville]

I'm a newbie, too, and have been making changes as I learn more about my flock and what works best for both of us. I have 5 15-week old pullets. My coop is nicely built and has good ventilation-windows on one side and a kind of window on the other side that closes completely (no glass). Both have sturdy wire on them. The coop/run is in a shady spot, so stays cool during the day, for the most part. It will get more sun in the winter. The run is covered and very secure. We have a dig-proof skirting covered with gravel and an electric fence around the coop and run. There are roosts inside and one outside. I used to make sure the girls were in their coop at night (made me feel better), but for the past few weeks, I have not closed the door to the coop, so they can choose whether to stay out or go inside. They seem to like this arrangement. They usually sleep inside, but are out and about early in the morning. I have moved their food and water outside, also. They spend just about all day outside, unless it is a dark, rainy day, then they might catch a nap inside. I plan on keeping it this way until the weather turns cold. Then I will want to close the coop door to keep them warmer at night.

 

[Wise Woman]

Half of my girls have started sleeping outside in the run as well. But I don't have a roost in the run so they are sleeping on top of the nest boxes. GRRRRRR!!!!! The nest boxes are lower than the roosts inside the coop so I don't know what their fascination with sleeping outside is. The coop is 6 by 6 and well ventilated and they were sleeping in there just fine. I cannot change the angle of the lids on the nest boxes due to the location of the windows just above them. It is a design flaw that I didn't figure out until the coop was finished so now I have to live with it. I could lock them in there at night, but I hate to do that as the run is secure and they seem to enjoy sleeping outdoors during these hot summer nights.

The weird thing is that the coop is insulated and so it usually runs 4 to 6 degrees cooler than what it is in the run. The major problem is that they are making a mess out of my nest box lids.

 

[MichaelsPlace]

Thank you for your replies. This week I moved my seven pullet flock from a brooding box that I kept inside, to the outside to the coop and run. Initially, I placed all seven in the coop (backdoor access). The birds eventually made their way down the ramp into the fully secured run. They seem to prefer living and sleeping outside in the run on the grass. I have not been successful in getting them to sleep in the coop. Because of the construction design of the run, I am unable to lay hands on the pullets to place them in the coop. Any suggestions?

 

[Coop Z-ville]

When I moved my 5 girls out to the coop from their brooder, I left them in the coop for several days before I let them out in the run (it was just like a big brooder). I had read somewhere that this gets them used to the idea that that's their "bed." Maybe they got used to sleeping inside. However, I wanted them in at a certain time (so I could get my pj's on!) and they weren't always ready, so I was using live mealworms as a treat to entice them into the coop. It worked for several weeks. I used a special red dish for them, too (I was told chickens can see colors), and sure enough, when they saw that red dish they would run in for their treats. As they got a bit older, one of my Black Australorps and one of my Easter Eggers would run back outside if I wasn't quick enough to get the door closed. That's when I decided to leave the door open. They sleep in the coop, though, even with the door to their run left open. I'm thinking cooler fall evenings and earlier sundowns will push them into the coop earlier, and I will be able to close the door.

 

[Coop Z-ville]

Half of my girls have started sleeping outside in the run as well. But I don't have a roost in the run so they are sleeping on top of the nest boxes. GRRRRRR!!!!! The nest boxes are lower than the roosts inside the coop so I don't know what their fascination with sleeping outside is. The coop is 6 by 6 and well ventilated and they were sleeping in there just fine. I cannot change the angle of the lids on the nest boxes due to the location of the windows just above them. It is a design flaw that I didn't figure out until the coop was finished so now I have to live with it. I could lock them in there at night, but I hate to do that as the run is secure and they seem to enjoy sleeping outdoors during these hot summer nights.

The weird thing is that the coop is insulated and so it usually runs 4 to 6 degrees cooler than what it is in the run. The major problem is that they are making a mess out of my nest box lids.

I found when I put my girls in the coop for the first time from their brooder that they preferred sleeping on the sides of the coop where the 2x4's for the walls had the 4" side up. They did this until they were to big to fit anymore, and now they roost on the 2x4 roost that has the 2" side up. Maybe your girls like a wider place to roost. It might be more comfortable with a secure place for their bottoms?

 

[Khalpers]

Half of my girls have started sleeping outside in the run as well. But I don't have a roost in the run so they are sleeping on top of the nest boxes. GRRRRRR!!!!! The nest boxes are lower than the roosts inside the coop so I don't know what their fascination with sleeping outside is. The coop is 6 by 6 and well ventilated and they were sleeping in there just fine. I cannot change the angle of the lids on the nest boxes due to the location of the windows just above them. It is a design flaw that I didn't figure out until the coop was finished so now I have to live with it. I could lock them in there at night, but I hate to do that as the run is secure and they seem to enjoy sleeping outdoors during these hot summer nights.

The weird thing is that the coop is insulated and so it usually runs 4 to 6 degrees cooler than what it is in the run. The major problem is that they are making a mess out of my nest box lids.

Can you install a temporary roosting bar in the run that’s higher than the nesting boxes?

 

[Wise Woman]

The roosting bars in the coop are all higher than the nesting boxes. They are 2x4s with the wide side up and the edges sanded down a little bit. They were all sleeping in there just fine since last Dec. 1st, when they moved in. I am not sure what caused the sudden switch to sleeping outside. It is kind of my own fault for not making the nesting box lids steeper, but I was so intent on using my vintage windows that I forgot they would get on top of the nesting boxes. So while they are quite functional, I should have turned the windows side ways and made steeper lids.

 

[Wise Woman]

Here is a side view where you can see I should have made them much more at an angle.

 

[aart]

I am not sure what caused the sudden switch to sleeping outside.

I'm betting it's hotter and/or stuffier inside the coop....
.....maybe try opening all those windows?