Chickens won’t go in coop at night!

[Babicz94]

It's probably stuffy in there after a warm day.

The Usual Guidelines are to have 1 square foot of ventilation per adult, standard-size hen and it looks like you have less than 2 square feet if I'm estimating the size of the vents correctly.

The good news is that the vents are in the right place -- up at the top of the coop. Also, they're nicely sheltered by those roof overhangs.

Can you open up more of the gable triangles or add a ridge vent?

Also, is the shelf they're sitting on higher than the roost inside? It's natural for chickens to want to sleep in the highest possible place.

I can admit that it does get stuffy in there in warm days. However, for me to take those pictures, I have a side door on the coop for ease of cleaning. I will usually have that open during the day to help vent while they’re out free ranging. But is ventilation really the reason or the only reason? Only asking because last week we had nights dip into the 30s and they still chose to stay on the shelf. The shelf sits level with the floor of coop so no, the roost sits higher.

 

[MommaHen1996]

I’ve been back and forth with mine for months now, rebuilding my coop entirely because they refuse to sleep there....but I’m in Florida, so no matter the ventilation I realised I have to install a fan..which means a whole coop remodel. They sleep in their 10 by 10 run in the trees...I’ll try and get a pic of them tonight. But I agree they shouldn’t sleep in the boxes...mine did at first and it led to fighting and poop on eggs -.- had to literally set my bielefelders on a perch to teach them.....

 

[3KillerBs]

I can admit that it does get stuffy in there in warm days. However, for me to take those pictures, I have a side door on the coop for ease of cleaning. I will usually have that open during the day to help vent while they’re out free ranging. But is ventilation really the reason or the only reason? Only asking because last week we had nights dip into the 30s and they still chose to stay on the shelf. The shelf sits level with the floor of coop so no, the roost sits higher.

Once they form a habit it's hard to break.

 

[Babicz94]

Hi! Random thought other then ventilation and roosting bars, have you checked for snakes? My girlies were being very strange for about 2 weeks, I checked the coop, changed bedding, couldn't figure out what was going on. Opened the coop one afternoon to find TWO six foot long black snakes buried in the egg box bedding!. They got into the run from an overhanging tree limb and decided to stay. The snakes are no more, the limb has been cut, and the girls are happy and sleeping in the coop again. My guess is that when the snakes took up residence my girls moved out.

That’s a good thought. We’ve lived in our house just under a year and I have yet to see any snakes. I clean their coop weekly so I have not seen any snakes in their bedding. Since it is approaching summer here in IL, I don’t do the deep litter method. It would be very easy to spot snakes in their boxes.

 

[aart]

I can admit that it does get stuffy in there in warm days. However, for me to take those pictures, I have a side door on the coop for ease of cleaning. I will usually have that open during the day to help vent while they’re out free ranging.

Some pic of outside of coop would be good here.
Best place to ventilate is under the roof overhangs.

 

[MommaHen1996]

That’s a good thought. We’ve lived in our house just under a year and I have yet to see any snakes. I clean their coop weekly so I have not seen any snakes in their bedding. Since it is approaching summer here in IL, I don’t do the deep litter method. It would be very easy to spot snakes in their boxes.

You have a problem with black snakes too!? I have one that won’t stop trying to get to my coop, my lead hen got him once and left a nasty scar, now I know it’s the same offender coming back. I think it’s just a black racer, but if he’s after my eggs, I’m going to have to cull him off, I’ve relocated him 3 times already -.-

 

[Vacman]

Since you have electric in there, it would be easy to install a vent fan in one side of the coop. I have one in the hoop over the coop and it's thermostatically controlled.

 

[DuckinMadHouse]

You have a problem with black snakes too!? I have one that won’t stop trying to get to my coop, my lead hen got him once and left a nasty scar, now I know it’s the same offender coming back. I think it’s just a black racer, but if he’s after my eggs, I’m going to have to cull him off, I’ve relocated him 3 times already -.-

I tried rehoming black (racer) snakes before but they keep coming back! The two I found have since lost their heads. I didn't know they were even there until one late evening check because the girls were being weird. I don't have deep litter anywhere in the coop, (Southern heat), but they coiled under the small amount of litter I have in the egg boxes. Blended in with the shadows just enough. I've had them in my coop rafters, and under my water dish too ( worst one fell on my feet when I opened the egg box door, I screamed and it left ) Normally I try to rehome them but once they keep coming back over and over again they have to be dealt with. I've got hardware cloth all over the sides and bottom of the coop, but they keep getting through the netting on the top.

 

[Babicz94]

Since you have electric in there, it would be easy to install a vent fan in one side of the coop. I have on in the hoop over the coop and it's thermostatically controlled.

I can try to put a fan it there but I think they’ll be afraid of it and not want to go in. I put a fly ribbon out in their run right above the vent openings and same thing they wouldn’t go in at night. I had to move it to the corner where it would blend in with the wood.

 

[MommaHen1996]

I tried rehoming black (racer) snakes before but they keep coming back! The two I found have since lost their heads. I didn't know they were even there until one late evening check because the girls were being weird. I don't have deep litter anywhere in the coop, (Southern heat), but they coiled under the small amount of litter I have in the egg boxes. Blended in with the shadows just enough. I've had them in my coop rafters, and under my water dish too ( worst one fell on my feet when I opened the egg box door, I screamed and it left ) Normally I try to rehome them but once they keep coming back over and over again they have to be dealt with. I've got hardware cloth all over the sides and bottom of the coop, but they keep getting through the netting on the top.

Omg... next time I catch him...well, I gotta do what I gotta do lol. I’m not scared of them, I’m just scared of them eating my eggs or hurting one of my girls or spreading something idk lol