Chicks sleep on roof of coop inside run at night

[Farmer40]

I am a new chicken mom. I have 10 RIR that are 6 1/2 weeks old. We build a run for them against the house with a light inside that is hardware cloth on the bottom and chicken wire on the top. They have been outside for about 2 weeks now with no problems, I put them all in a coop that is INSIDE the run at night and close the door to the coop and they all go upstairs and roost inside at night. I do not close the roost door. The last two nights, at dusk when I put them to bed, 4 are in the roost already, 4 are on the roof of the coop, and 2 are nestled on the ground. I have put them inside the coop so far, but can I just leave them out? I’m in Florida so it won’t get too cold and I think my coop is too small? Help!!! Thank you!!

 

[wyoDreamer]

How big is your coop? You should have over 10 feet of roost for 10 birds. The rule of thumb is 4 sq. ft per bird of floor space, which calculates out 40 sq. ft, which would be 5'x8' of floor space. It may also be too warm in there. How is the ventilation?
I am not sure what you mean by "built a run with a light inside that is hardware cloth on bottom and chicken wire on top"? Picture may help. Also remember - chicken wire will only keep chickens in, not predators out. So if they are sleeping outside in a run with a chicken wire top, they in danger of predation.

 

[blackdog043]

Please post a picture of your coop and run, so we can see what your talking about. It may be to hot inside and or not enough roost space. Also, they are young still and may need to be put in the coop, so they know where they are supposed to go at night.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Can you just leave them out? In Florida and from a weather aspect, yes you can. They will manage.

The issue is how high is your risk tolerance for predators. Many people that consider their run predator-proof never lock their pop door but give their chickens the opportunity to go in and out all the time. Sometimes they misjudge how truly predator proof their run is and pay a price but for many it works out. Chicken wire will provide protection against a lot of predators. Against many predators it is good enough. Up on top it is out of the reach of dogs and some other land-based critters that are strong enough o tear it. But a large raccoon and some other critters can climb up their and tear their way inside. The heavier the gauge the more protection you get but chicken wire is generally not very strong. Sometimes the wire breaks, sometimes the connections untwist. Sometimes the problem is not the wire itself but the way it is connected.

It is your decision but I'd be uncomfortable depending on chicken wire at night, even if it is just on top.