Chickens Sleeping Outside at Night

[danielle2003]

Hello all, my hens have resorted to sleeping outside on their perch instead of inside their coop. I am kind of worried, as I live in a more rural area, and coyotes are plentiful. I have seen them walk along our fence, and as a chicken owner, that's pretty scary, knowing that predators are nearby. I have tried placing them one by one back inside their coop, but they walk right back out! Not to mention, even when it rains they stay outside....and get drenched! Could they get sick? I keep their coop clean with fresh pine shavings, and I keep all spiders out! Is this normal behavior?

 

[MadamContrary]

What's the weather like, is there any chance it's too hot in the coop? Maybe adding ventilation would help if that is the issue.

 

[MadamContrary]

It gets about 50-65 degrees at night here. There is a small screened window and their coop door is open. Is that enough ventilation?

It would depend a bit on the window location relative to the usual wind direction. For instance in my back yard the wind tends to blow in from the north so I have my coop turned so the air currents are maximized. Is the window opposing the coop door? If not there may not be an adequate amount of air circulation. There's some really good articles in the learning center here on BYC with great photos. I know it can be difficult to imagine the logistics from text.
I wouldn't rule out other things as well, have you been using the same bedding on the coop, did you use a cleaner with a scent recently? Chickens don't like change lol!

 

[rosemarythyme]

It gets about 50-65 degrees at night here. There is a small screened window and their coop door is open. Is that enough ventilation?

Photos of your set up would help with assessing.

As a general rule you want 1 sq ft of ventilation per standard hen. In a hot climate such as yours, adding even more would be ideal.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

There is a small screened window and their coop door is open. Is that enough ventilation?

Probably not. The usual guidelines are to have a minimum of 1 square foot of ventilation per adult, standard-sized hen. Ideally, this ventilation is above the chickens' heads while they're sitting on their roosts because heat and ammonia both rise.

My empirical test is to put my head and shoulders into the coop on a warm, sunny day. If it's hotter in than out I need more ventilation.

If you post photos we can help you evaluate your setup.

 

[Borders3]

Looking at your photo of the window in your coop it looks to me as though the side unclips and drops down. To give more ventilation I would drop it down permanently for summer and cover the opening with hardware cloth. Also you need roosts inside your coop which yours appear to be a couple of 4x4 at a very low level, I suggest lifting these so they are at least 2 to 3 foot off the ground.

 

[Mountain Roost]

I agree that your roosts look too low. Chickens naturally go for the highest place in the coop to roost. I occasionally have hens go to the fir trees if the coop door is closed for so random reason. You could try a light bulb on a timer (LED so not to add any heat), and time it to be on during dusk and then turn off after you close the coop door. This could attract them to the light and then they would settle down in the coop, on the roosts, and then close the door. When the chickens go to the trees I say they are going back to the wild...but the wild will get them in the end. A sleeping chicken is a sitting duck. lol

My roosts are as high as they can be with a standing rooster not hitting his comb.

 

[Shep1978]

Hello all, my hens have resorted to sleeping outside on their perch instead of inside their coop. I am kind of worried, as I live in a more rural area, and coyotes are plentiful. I have seen them walk along our fence, and as a chicken owner, that's pretty scary, knowing that predators are nearby. I have tried placing them one by one back inside their coop, but they walk right back out! Not to mention, even when it rains they stay outside....and get drenched! Could they get sick? I keep their coop clean with fresh pine shavings, and I keep all spiders out! Is this normal behavior?

They most likely do not like something in that coop. Maybe it's the shavings, the lack of roosting place, no nest boxes or they don't feel safe. (Is there a crack somewhere) Try or change some of these. Maybe a smaller entrance.

 

[aart]

Photos of your set up would help with assessing.

Ditto Dat!

 

[rosemarythyme]

I don't think this is enough ventilation. I don't know how or where to add any more. They have been sleeping outside on and off for awhile now, and there doesn't seem to be a problem. Any suggestions?

You could use more ventilation for sure. Some possible options:
- openings with louvered covers (like you'd see in the gable vent of a house)
- removing part/all of a wall and replacing it with wire, if there's sufficient roof coverage over that wall to ward off the weather. Hard to tell in up close shots, but it looks like you have a roof over at least part of the area?