Chicks Starting to Roost Outside in Colder Weather

[crazychick26201]

Ok, it's me again. I think I need a chicken therapist, or my chickens do. They have nicely roosted in their coop until this week, when temps in the 20's and 30's at night. NOW they won't roost in the coop but are staying in their enclosed outdoor run where there is a roost. WHY?????? I tried a couple of nights to move them, but have given up. Do they have the sense to move indoors when they get really cold? Why aren't they liking their coop any more?

 

[daniel-delarosa]

I added a few hens to my flock last year and they would not stay in the coop at all. They would roost in the cedar tree in the run. I figured they were just scared from being added to an established flock. Well, now ALL of my chickens roost in the dang tree! I dont bother with them, I figure its safer than them being in the coop.

 

[crazychick26201]

Surely there is a trick to get them back in the coop that we have not thought of. I tried sprinkling mealworms in their bedding, but no go. I put a few sunflower seeds on each rung of their ramp up to the coop but they just went up and ate them and came back down to roost in the run. I do NOT want to trek out there when the weather turns freezing and place them in the coop!

I am glad yours are safe and wish I could offer some advice, but this is my first year with chickens and I sure hope my second year is easier.

 

[Lovemy3girls]

My girls (3 of them) have taken themselves inside the coop and have settled down for the night if their door was left open. However, the other night I was home later than expected and their coop door was closed. When I went out to put them away, two of them had roasted on a couple of tires but the third was nowhere to be seen. I picked each girl up and put her in the coop and then the search for the third "Shadow" began. As I turned around to go in search of her I noticed she had flown up onto the fence 8ft high! By the time I spotted her so had the neighbours yappy dog! I had to get my husband to help get her down by using a long pole behind her and giving her a slight tap. For an instant or two I thought my neighbours dog was going to have a fresh chicken for supper!
In short I find that if the coop door is open they take themselves off to bed, I guess they feel safe.

 

[big worm]

Mine roosted outside in their run all summer. Once the weather started cooling off I took the roosts out of the run to break them of that.

 

[crazychick26201]

Did that work? I went out the last two nights to check on them and they are on their outdoor roost again. It is snowing and blowing and temps are in the 20's. Last night we put them in the coop and after some shuffling around they settled down. but tonight I waited a bit too long and it was dark when we put them in the coop. They acted completely disoriented and one would not even roost. I know I am in danger of overpersonalizing this, but I wonder if I am stressing them to do this every night. I know I am stressing ME! It seems on here that the opinion is divided between leaving them alone and moving them into the coop.
It is very windy where we live. I thought chickens were smarter than to stay outside in cold windy weather.
Are they planning on spending the winter outside after we have gone to all the trouble of winterizing their coop?

 

[autumn123]

We are having a similar problem on and off and doesn't seem to have anything to do with the weather. (We are in Texas the coldest it has been at night is 42). Some nights, they are in their secure coop box when I go out to close the door. Other nights, they roost on the roof of the coop (which has a partially opaque yard roof over it) and I have to take a fish landing net and drag them down! I can't leave them outside the box at night because there are too many nocturnal predators out here.