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?

 

[equinewiz]

Your birds are probably bigger now than when you got them, but it sounds like they have enough space. Make sure the roost bar is 12-18 inches from the coop walls and ceiling. I second the night light idea. My pullets were "scared" to go in the dark coop at night, I'd turn a light on in the coop, leave them alone 5-10 min, go back to check and they'd all be inside, I'd shut the door and turn off the light. This was far better than me on my hands and knees chasing them each night to put them to bed. I no longer have to do this. They put themselves to roost without a night light. I maybe used the light for a month. You could even use a battery powered flash light or something. It's just temporary. Also a second roost at the same height might help, some of my girls like each other better than others, this allows them to spread out if they are annoyed with each other. I usually find mine split into two groups, not always the same birds in each group.

I just purchased a solar powered light with a remote from amazon, it will be here Thursday. I will try this idea out. And the coops is 10 feet from my bedroom window so hopefully with the remote I won't have to go outside in the cold weather to turn it on and off

 

[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.

 

[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?

 

[Teila]

I doubt it. What causes mites and lice? The hens are rarely in the coop so it's spotless. I've never even had to clean out a pile of poo from there....that's how little time they spend in it. No other creatures go in there. The bedding in pine shavings.

Hey equinewiz Lice and mites are sadly pretty much everywhere in the environment and can be bought in by wild birds and I think even rodents.

It was just a suggestion as something else to rule out as a cause for their not roosting inside.

Something else that comes to mind is that they are not going in to the coop because it is dark? Sometimes, depending on when they decide to roost, the coop has become too dark for them to see clearly and they end up staying outside. A night light has been used effectively by others in the past to fix that issue.

 

[PirateGirl]

Your birds are probably bigger now than when you got them, but it sounds like they have enough space. Make sure the roost bar is 12-18 inches from the coop walls and ceiling. I second the night light idea. My pullets were "scared" to go in the dark coop at night, I'd turn a light on in the coop, leave them alone 5-10 min, go back to check and they'd all be inside, I'd shut the door and turn off the light. This was far better than me on my hands and knees chasing them each night to put them to bed. I no longer have to do this. They put themselves to roost without a night light. I maybe used the light for a month. You could even use a battery powered flash light or something. It's just temporary. Also a second roost at the same height might help, some of my girls like each other better than others, this allows them to spread out if they are annoyed with each other. I usually find mine split into two groups, not always the same birds in each group.

 

[Fairview01]

2/3 of my flock goes to roost in the coop the remaining ones vie for what they consider to be the 'primo' position on the useless ramp to the coop opening. They will jockey for position well after the others have gone to roost pushing each other off the stupid ramp with loud protests. One of these days when I want to screw with them I'm gonna shorten the ramp and watch the show. As long as I'm in my warm bed I don't lose any sleep if they chose to sleep outside in the winter cold.

 

[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?

 

[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?