Chickens sleeping on roof coop

[3000rpm]

i have a problem, im new to my hens got them 2 weeks ago and have 5 in total

i got a coop big enough for 8 hens and i have 5 so plenty space and it has an outdoor small run, i did plan to have them freerange all day in the whole garden but they were making a mess so i built a large run around 15 foot by 10 foot and its concrete slabs on ground with straw over the top to keep it clean, i also have a clear roof so light gets in and its nice and dry

my problem is that the hens do not go inside to roost at all, when it starts to get dark they all fly onto the top of the coop and sit on the roof, i then need to pick them up one at a time and put them inside and i lock them in

i would prefer if they went in by themselves is there anything i can do so they will do this or would it be better to just leave them to figure it out themselves

i am worried to leave them out all night incase they start making a lot of noise as i am in a housing area, during the day they do not make much noise at all though, we do have some foxes go around but im pretty sure they could not get to them with the metal wire and concrete on the ground

any help would be great thank you

 

[teach1rusl]

You have a couple of things going on here. First, they're new, so they don't consider the housing as their "safe zone" yet. This will take time; continue doing what you're doing by physically putting them in at night. Second, does the housing have plenty of airflow?? Have you stuck a thermometer inside so that you can see how warm/hot it is inside there of the evening? If there isn't good airflow, it may be an oven in there, and that's why they're not going inside. And finally, if the housing does have good airflow (it's about the same temp inside as out), you might try placing/turning on a small light inside the housing each evening, about an hour before it gets dark. One of those battery operated pushlights or even a flashlight would work. They may be attracted to the safety of light as it gets dark outside. If they go inside, then you can just turn the light off when you go to check on them for the night.

 

[3000rpm]

thanks for the fast reply

i live in scotland so im sure its not hot for example today is 13°C

the coop is nice and cool inside but i will fit a light inside, i was thinking of a low power 3 watt led light would this be good enough

once i get the hens into a routine of going indoors at night on their own does anyone use an automatic door closer and opener at dawn?

im not sure if i really need to lock them up at night as i have the coop with built in run, but with the small door open its within a bigger area run so there is no danger or is it best to lock them up

 

[Orange Ribbon]

I let my chickens free range during the day--well, I WAS. Quite a few of them suddenly started roosting on the fence and in trees and we had to get them down every evening and putting them in the coop. So for the past few days I started leaving them in the pen. I'm hoping they will get the idea. One thing I did early on was to put some netting up over top the whole pen area which keeps them from getting out or up on the chicken house. You might consider putting up some netting and bringing it over to the edge of the building roof so they can't get up on it. That would protect them from any hawks as well if there happens to be any around. Just a thought.

 

[teach1rusl]

Quote:
Well that's nice for you to be in a cool part of the world - over here in the US we're baking hot!!!
I think to attract them inside, you'd need a white light rather than a red light, because you want them to really notice it...kind of like if you're lost in the woods at night time and you see a bright light - you think 'safety."
It's always BEST to shut them inside the housing each night, even with a contained/covered run attached. Of course you have to do what works for you. I have an auto door, and I've been leaving my pop door open for the past several weeks just because it's been so dang blasted hot here. My run is covered with welded wire and partly roofed, but I know I'm still increasing my odds of a predator getting to them; it's a risk I'm willing to take right now due to the heat. So do what you feel comfortable with.

 

[Alabama ee]

We put a small solar powered light in. We put it on the roof of the coop. You can use the kind that line a walk way. It was inexpensive and
we did not have to run a power cord out.

 

[Joce in NC]

Hello! We are new to chicken raising but are loving it so far! I found this thread after searching for "chickens sleeping on coop roof". Very helpful to know that they prefer height and that explains why our 4 hens are doing it. We have 2 Leghorns and 2 Ameraucanas and they've taken to sleeping up on top of the coop after months of roosting inside the coop. We decided not to do anything about it because the surrounding run has a chicken wire roof. This is the key to allowing them to sleep on the roof! Now, we did have a giant thunder/lightning storm last night with lots of rain, So I went out before it got bad and put them inside on their roost. They were all waiting at the coop door this morning, ready to be freed lol. We do let them free range all day and evening when we are home.

 

[aart]

Welcome to BYC! @Joce in NC ..sorry to be critical, but....

that explains why our 4 hens are doing it.

Well, it's more because your coop is too small for 4 birds and not ventilated enough.

We decided not to do anything about it because the surrounding run has a chicken wire roof.

Chicken wire is not predator proof.

 

[Joce in NC]

Thank you for your reply. The coop looks small in the pic, but it's an 8-10 bird coop and they do hang out in there a lot. The run is about as secure as we can get it without adding a full roof on top. Locking gates, snake netting going up the sides, and the wire on top is stapled every inch. We also have chicken wire going underground about 18" to keep the diggers getting in underneath.
Today we added multiple high perches for them to roost.

 

[aart]

The coop looks small in the pic, but it's an 8-10 bird coop

Because it is small.....I'd bet that the upper coop portion of that coop/run combo is no more than 2x3'.
Manufacturers always grossly over estimate the number of birds that can live healthily in their coops....it's a common achilles heel of newbie chickeneers.
Even well stapled(hopefully pneumatic staples)chicken wire can be chewed thru by especially raccoons and dogs.
Not sure where you are located or if you have other predator protection...those things can make a difference.

You want to make make your way to the 'new member' forum for a proper Welcome.
Also...
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!