Chickens won't go to bed

[adgcountrygirl]

Honestly, they might be too hot in there with a heat lamp in that small space. You don't need a heat lamp, especially at 45 degrees. 10 month old chickens have plenty of feathers to keep themselves warm under a shelter. 

I agree. Hens and roosters are actually comfortable in 45 degree weather without a heat lamp. Ever worn a down coat? Imagine if you could only shed it once or twice a year. My flock went out this morning in 37 degree weather and only went back to the coop to lay, drink or see if I had a treat when I went to clean.

 

[serprise]

I've had similar issues with my girls. When I first started letting them out of their coop to free range, I'd find them roosting in a tree next to the coop at dusk rather than going in their coop. I tried locking them in for a week, but they still intermittently used the tree. I would knock them out of the tree with a broom handle to put them in the coop. I started giving them dried meal worms as a treat to entice them in, which would work as a lure, but then they'd get in there and wait before I'd show up, and then come back out (I would arrive just as they were coming back out). Now, if I'm on time, they will go in and I lock them up, but if I'm late, they're in the tree. I tell them "chickie, chickie, chickie" and put the mealworms in the coop, and they'll jump down and go inside. Two of my new girls will go in no problem but the original ones still insist on starting in the tree and then will come down when I call them, and go inside. Sometimes they get mealworms and other times not. If it is too dark when I come, then they won't come down and I have to physically grab the legs of the ones I can reach. Thankfully, we don't seem to have any raccoons or opossums that would go up in the tree to get them, because sometimes I just have to leave the ones who are too high to grab. Not much of an answer for the OP, but at least the treats will help you get compliance if the don't end up volunteering to go in.

It isn't even a matter of mine wanting to sleep outside, it's like they don't sleep. I'm not kidding, they'll still be walking around/making noise at 3AM. I'm not exaggerating. Even when I put them in the run they're up way past midnight. Last night for example, my chickens woke me up at 2:30 squawking up a storm (only light on is a street light 120' away, across the street plus it's a house over). It wasn't a scared squawk, just the everyday noises they make and they were in their run. They were just walking around in their run begging to get out when I went out there. They're up late every night. When I've come home after midnight the days I wasn't able to get them in their run at sunset they're always still walking around the yard... NEVER standing still/sleeping, it sucks.

It seems like people are stuck on the heat lamp, I "assure" you it's not the heat lamp. The heat lamp has only been on maybe 10 times since march. I assure you there is ZERO chance of that being the case. Do they need a heat lamp in 45 degree weather? absolutely not, I have a thermo plug for it that turns on when the temp reaches 35, then it remains on until it hits 45 which doesn't take long and that's only when the plug is plugged in which is rare. It hasn't been in nearly a month. Even if it were plugged in it isn't enough to make them not want in there. The thing shuts "OFF" when it hits 45 and the plug that senses the temp is right by the light which is the opposite corner of where their perch is so they themselves only see temps of 45F if the outside temp is 45+. Does anybody understand what this post is about? I understand you're all trying to help but if you're thinking the heat lamp is the culprit of what I'm posting about, you're actually misunderstanding what I'm trying to say. I regret ever bringing up the heat lamp because it has confused a lot of you, that and I represented it wrong saying it's a 45F lamp, it actually only heats to 45 (when it's plugged in which is RARE) but it doesn't actually turn on until it hits 35F which happened a lot for a couple week span but long before the cold weather, before the heat lamp was even installed I was dealing with the same behavior. Again, if you're going to say it's the heat lamp, you're misunderstanding what I'm trying to explain.
I know you all are trying to help, I was just hoping this would be common and you'd know a quick fix but I'll just continue to babysit them until they learn (I hope that's soon). There is one thing mentioned here that I want to try and that's locking them in the coop itself for a few days. I need to install a door first, I may even get the stuff I need to put in a window for them when I go get the hardware for the door.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

It isn't even a matter of mine even wanting to sleep outside, it's like they don't sleep. I'm not kidding, they'll still be walking around/making noise at 3AM. I'm not exaggerating. Even when I put them in the run they're up way past midnight. Last night for example, my chickens woke me up at 2:30 squawking up a storm. Not a scared squawk, just the everyday noises they make and they were in their run.

It seems like people are stuck on the heat lamp, I "assure" you it's not the heat lamp. The heat lamp has only been on maybe 10 days since march. I assure you there is ZERO chance of that being the case. Do they need a heat lamp in 45 degree weather? absolutely not, I have a thermo plug for it that turns on when the temp reaches 35, then it remains on until it hits 45 which doesn't take long and that's only when the plug is plugged in which is rare. It hasn't been in nearly a month. Even if it were plugged in it isn't enough to make them not want in there. The thing shuts "OFF" when it hits 45 and the plug that senses the temp is right by the light which is the opposite corner of where their perch is so they themselves only see temps of 45F if the outside temp is 45+. Does nobody understand what this post is about? I understand you're all trying to help but if you're thinking the heat lamp is the culprit of what I'm posting about, you're actually misunderstanding what I'm trying to say. I regret ever bringing up the heat lamp, than and I mentioned it wrong saying it's a 45F lamp, it heats to 45 (when it's plugged in which is RARE) but it doesn't actually turn on until it hits 35F which happened a lot for a couple week span but long before the cold which is also long before the heat lamp was even installed I was dealing with the same behavior. Again, if you're going to say it's the heat lamp please re-read what I'm trying to explain, because it means you aren't quite understanding what I'm trying to get across.

There has to be some source of ambient light during the night for them to be up and around. Chickens don't see well in the dark and when the lights go totally out, they settle down.

Is there a backdoor light or a security light that is leaking light near them? They can't see to move around without some light source. Get rid of the light and it should help.

 

[serprise]

Other than the street light there's nothing but even it is pretty far away isn't it? I know I can't see back there without a flashlight. It's a yellow light, different color than the last city I lived in used which is why I mentioned it, like maybe they think it's the sun or something, I'm not really sure. If that light's the cause I dunno what to do, I can't exactly shoot it out

Maybe they just have better vision than me, if that's the case I guess I'm stuck babysitting them every night. The things I do for fresh eggs. If anything though, if that light's the culprit it's led to some good laying all winter. 4 hens and I get 3-4 eggs every day just like I did before winter, I gotta look at the bright side. That light is what I was afraid was the culprit, I was just hoping there was some other way

 

[chickkrzi]

I'd try the locking them up at night. Insuring no light can get in the coop. Then letting light in during the early morning for the next few days or more. Might change there sleeping schedule? If that don't work might give them a night cap, maybe a little bourbon in there water at night might help them sleep. I know it works for me.... :-D ( JK)

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

What you're describing is really unusual behavior, and I've never had to deal with anything like it. It is true that chickens don't sleep all night the way people think--they do get up and move around at night, even in full dark--but to be up and walking around the yard is odd.

Can you start throwing treats into the run every night at dusk to teach them to go into the run at the very least? I'd start there. Then once you are able to lock them into the run every night, you may see that they go perch and sleep on their own since they have nothing more interesting to do. If they don't coop up by themselves, then I'd move their nightly run treat into the coop, and lock those babies in. Your setup isn't very predator-proof, and they'd be a lot safer in the coop.

When we first let chicks out of the pullet house every year, they don't coop up right away. Instead they'll bed down in the grass or on top of the fence. For a few days to a week, I have to go out and catch them all and put them inside the pullet house and lock them in. Usually they get the idea within a few days, but I had one recalcitrant group that took a week. Then when they get moved to the layer house, they have to be trained once again and they get locked inside for a week (no ranging at all). That helps teach them that the hen house is where they live now. After that week, when I let them out again, I may have one or two that doesn't go in at night and instead beds down beside the hen house or something silly. I'll go out and put them in every night until they get it, and then after that I have no more problems. I think some sort of training like this is required for your birds.

Good luck! What a frustrating problem.

 

[lazy gardener]

I'd recommend that you block off the area under their coop for about a week. They have claimed that as their bedroom. I believe the street light is your problem.~~ It seems that your girls are confused by the lighting situation, and like moths, are drawn to the street light. Is there a window in your coop? If not, you might consider installing one. Perhaps they don't like entering a dark coop. It will need to at least have hardware cloth over it, and then have plexiglass/plastic/ or glass for cold weather. My windows were framed to fit storm window panes picked up at the Habitat store. I install them with clips in the cold weather, and in the spring, will remove them entirely. If blocking the under coop space doesn't solve the problem after a week, you might try putting a night light on a timer in their coop timed to go on in late afternoon, and off after dusk. Other question? What do you have for a perch in there? Dimension of perch and length?

Now, here's an other suggestion for you. You might like to try doing a deep litter in your run. You could use hay, straw, leaves, grass clippings, shavings... any thing readily available and preferably free. The girls will have a hey day (pun intended) digging around in the mulch. The mulch will turn into a compost situation, attracting beneficial insects and microbes. And, you can periodically harvest from this rich compost for your gardens. Any time you have a run with bare ground, it becomes a mud pit or dust bowl with a heavy build up of nutrients, as well as nutrient run off with the rain, creating an unhealthy soil situation that may take years to correct as well as possible ground water contamination and greater likelihood of birds getting a parasite load.

 

[lazy gardener]

For folks who have birds that roost outside, up high, out of reach, you might want to build a roost pole. Not my idea, but gleaned from Harvey Ussery's book: The small scale poultry flock. Basically, it's a long pole with a small T roost on the top. You reach it up in front of the bird, press it toward's the bird's chest, and most likely, the bird will step onto the T, then you can lower her to the ground.

 

[erinchelsea]

I agree, it has to be the light but I find that very bizarre! We have several yard lights on our farm and they are fairly bright. Never had an issue with chickens up in the night. After dark they all go to sleep, even the few times they accidentally got locked out of the coop- I'll find them huddled up by a tree or by a building sleeping. I think you will have to do it the hard way if you don't want them out at night, lure them into the coop with treats and lock them in. Hopefully they will catch on after a while.

 

[Cwg6126]

I have a similar problem. I got two pullets around the first of December and they spent a great deal of time in the coop as opposed to the run. About a week ago, they started staying in the run and they simply will not go into the coop at dusk. One will go into the coop and lay her egg. The other will just lay the egg in the run. I can't free range, because we just have too may predators. The coop is large enough for four hens, but we just wanted two hens so there is no problem with space. It is well ventilated and has a window. We went through a couple of cold spells in the past few days, but they seem entirely content to sleep in the run. I have covered the run each night with a heavy drop cloth just to cut down on the wind. I have not tried any lights. I will try the meal worm idea some one mentioned, but I am open to suggestions from some of you more experienced. This is our first time and we are loving it, but we are worried that as the weather gets warmer, we will see more predators and we would like to see them safely in the coop at night.