Chickens staying out at night below freezing

[dbzillion]

3 of my chickens are huddling under the pallet their coop is on and 3 are in the corner of the covered chicken run.

I put the 3 I could get to in the coop, but could not reach the 3 under the coop.

They always eagerly went into the coop before it snowed. They have done this 3 nights now and it’s below freezing.

I might be able to get the area under the coop blocked today, but atm my car is stuck in my driveway. We had an early deep snow. The boards are outside, probably frozen as well, so don’t know if I can get that blocked off today.

They have access to food and unfrozen water and a covered compost run that’s snow-free.

This is my first year with chickens, so I’m worried.

 

[SmiYa0126]

Hello! As long as they're in a draft free section they should be fine. Although I have seen posts here where chickens are perching on trees, they're more risilient then we give them credit for.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

So sorry, how stressful.
Inspect the coop well for anything that may be keeping them from going in..predator, snake (although it is cold), rat hole.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

If they're dry, out of the wind, and have access to food and water then they're probably OK, though your plan to block off that area as soon as you have access is a good idea.

 

[WingsysRoost]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

My first thought would be to check the coop for potential issues that might make it unpleasant for them to roost, especially if they were going in before with no trouble.

Picking them up and checking them for injuries (especially on the feet) might be a good idea as well, just to rule out anything else that could make them not want to roost.

Chickens are generally pretty hardy as long as they have access to somewhere that is dry and draft-free. Blocking off that space underneath the coop definitely sounds like a good plan.

 

[dbzillion]

So sorry, how stressful.
Inspect the coop well for anything that may be keeping them from going in..predator, snake (although it is cold), rat hole.

I swept feet of snow off the top of the coop, added another bag of shavings, checked the chickens. They all seem fine, but even during the day they ALL like to go under the pallet that's holding the coop. They can get under there from the chicken run. Weird.

 

[dbzillion]

Welcome to BYC.

If they're dry, out of the wind, and have access to food and water then they're probably OK, though your plan to block off that area as soon as you have access is a good idea.

Thanks. Going by the body temperature of the ones I moved into the coop last night, they are toasty warm and in the same place as the food and water. I thought about leaving the coop door open, in case they wanted to go in in the middle of the night, but once they've huddled together, they don't seem to get up to go anywhere, so that would probably just make the ones in the coop colder.

 

[WIchickMama]

Were they outside before it snowed? I wonder if there were uncertain of the snow and didn't know they could walk on it?

 

[dbzillion]

Were they outside before it snowed? I wonder if there were uncertain of the snow and didn't know they could walk on it?

They are walking around in the snow. I might go clear a little path to make sure all of them have a clear way to the coop entrance. It might be high enough to be intimidating.

 

[Ridgerunner]

They always eagerly went into the coop before it snowed. They have done this 3 nights now and it’s below freezing.

I've seen chickens sleep in trees in temperatures as low as -10 Fahrenheit (-23 C). They were in a sheltered area so wind was not a factor. Your temperatures being only a little below freezing doesn't concern me that much. I think you are seeing that it really isn't a big deal.

I don't know why those three stopped going into the coop to sleep. Is the snow a cause or just a coincidence? Since they are walking on the snow it sounds like a choice. How old are these three and what sex? Same questions for the other three. I wonder if it is a pecking order/dominance issue. I once had adolescents leave the main coop because of that.

I had a group of juveniles move from a shelter into the main coop on their own after an owl got in there when I was late locking them up and killed one. It is possible they had a predator scare or thought they had a predator scare. You are unlikely to ever know.

What does the coop look like? Size in feet and a photo showing the inside layout (especially the roosts) might give us some clues.

It can be hard to figure out why they moved under there. I agree with blocking it off so they can't get under there. Not because of the cold but because you can't get them. I would not consider it a high priority where I'd suffer doing it in the cold unless you don't feel that area is predator proof but don't let it drag on.