Chickens stay out at night.

[robat70]

Hi,
We have four 8-week old chicks who have been in the coop and run for a couple of weeks. They move freely between the coop and run all during the day, but toward evening, will roost in the same place in the run huddled together and stay all night, or at least past midnight, as far as I know. I tried moving them into the coop at night and locking them in and they huddled around the door to the run all night. I then tried placing them in the coop but leaving the door open and they stayed in the coop but they roosted (as many as would fit) on the door opening facing out and stayed there all night. For the past week I've just let them do whatever they want, which is to stay out.

The coop and run is pretty well protected, so I don't worry about their safety, just didn't expect this behavior. My inclination is just to let them figure it out for themselves.

What do you think?

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Does your coop have any place to perch? At eight weeks they'll probably be looking for a place to perch, so it makes sense they'd sit in the doorway.

This sounds like normal behavior. My chicks like to congregate and sleep on the ground in a corner or next to the door in the pullet house, too. Unlike you, I have to lock everyone in at night for safety.

I guess you need to figure out if this behavior bothers you or not. I've raised quite a few cohorts of chicks, and every single group has needed to be taught where to sleep at night. This means that every night as it gets dark I go out and put them all into the pullet house and lock them in. Usually it only takes 3-4 nights of this. Once it took a week. With my current bunch, all but one got it in two days.

If you want them to sleep in the coop, go out every night and lock them in until they get it. If you don't really care and you feel they are safe, then don't worry about it.

 

[robat70]

Thanks for the response.

There are several roosting places in the coop. I'm experimenting with 2x3s placed at different orientations and positions, using c-clamps for now just to try things out. They use all the roosts during the day especially the ones looking out the windows. I'm inclined to try to teach them to use the coop at night thinking it might encourage them to make more use of the nest boxes but will see what other feedback might come in.

 

[Cotton42]

Whenever I introduce new chicks to the flock I have to physically move them from the run into the coop at dusk for a few days until they learn that the coop is where they are supposed to sleep. They just don't understand where they're supposed to go without some help, probably because they're afraid of the "big girls".

 

[robat70]

OK. It seem clear that they need to learn to use the coop for roosting at night. I suppose they naturally will seek trees to roost not "houses". I was under the mistaken impression that they would naturally seek the protection of the coop. But as Cotton42 points out, they won't even follow the lead of their older sisters. So starting tonight... get thee to the coop.




In their evening torpor, but now in the coop.

My wife thinks I'm just too controlling, but in other seasons, it's probably better for them to gravitate to the coop.
Thanks for the input.