Chickens roosting outside not in coop during freezing temps

[equinewiz]

I have 4 ameraucana that are 10 months old. The only time they go into the coop is to lay eggs and eat from the feed bucket. Otherwise they are in their large enclosed run all the time. The temperatures are starting to get into the freezing range here in upstate ny and they are continuing to roost outside in the run. When i first got them they in april as 10 wks old pullets they roosted inside until they realized it was safe outside and that indoor roosting bar is still there.
Will they be fine outside? Are they smart enough to roost inside when they get cold? Will i need to bring them in to teach them?

 

[PirateGirl]

Do your chickens currently go inside their coop to roost at night? or they never go in?
How many square feet is the coop?
How long is your roost inside the coop?

 

[21hens-incharge]

I think measuring how high the outside roost is and how high the inside roost would be from the ground may reveal the answer.

If the outside roost is higher think about lowering it.

 

[equinewiz]

Do your chickens currently go inside their coop to roost at night? or they never go in?
How many square feet is the coop?
How long is your roost inside the coop?

they never go in to roost
its about 25 sq ft
roost is around 3 ft long, 3.5 inch wide

 

[equinewiz]

I think measuring how high the outside roost is and how high the inside roost would be from the ground may reveal the answer.

If the outside roost is higher think about lowering it.

hmm interesting. never thought about that. due to the design of the run it was convenient to put the roosting bar about 2.5 feet up. The coop is actually on stilts so there is 2 feet of space underneath it and the coop itself is about 3 feet tall at the tallest end. So that roost inside is only about 1 foot off the floor but in reality it's higher than the one outside. Please refer to the pic so it makes more sense what I'm saying And you see where they choose to roost each night.

So you think the problem is that the roost outside it too high? Should I just get rid of the outside roost all together for the winter?

 

[21hens-incharge]

Chickens are weird!

I would not remove the roost. Mine seem to use their outside roost more in the winter for that morning sun.

Maybe need to put them in the coop at night and close the door. Let them out in the mornings and repeat until they get it.

Just curious.... How much headspace is above the roost in the coop? If it is tight you may actually need to lower that roost to just a couple inches above the floor.

 

[equinewiz]

Chickens are weird!

I would not remove the roost. Mine seem to use their outside roost more in the winter for that morning sun.

Maybe need to put them in the coop at night and close the door. Let them out in the mornings and repeat until they get it.

Just curious.... How much headspace is above the roost in the coop? If it is tight you may actually need to lower that roost to just a couple inches above the floor.

They used the coop roost when i initially got them in April. I put it in the taller end of the coop so they have enough to stand on the roost and even more when they hunker down. When they stand on the roost they can look out into the run through the hardware cloth. But I plan on closing off that gap soon due to draft worries for the winter but it gives you a sense of the room.

 

[equinewiz]

you can kinda see the roost spot here. this was taken in april. there is a wider peice of wood as the bar there now

 

[21hens-incharge]

Then you got some stubborn weird birds!

 

[Teila]

One reason chickens stop using the roost is mites. They would rather roost outside than get little bites all night.

Just a thought, but have you checked for mites or lice in the coop?