Do they need the dark?

[Unobtanium]

OK... STOP WORRYING! They are baby chickens. They don't have life figured out yet. They have no momma to teach them. They WILL figure it out. Do NOT add the light as the chickens, just like you and I, NEED the darkness for proper and adequate sleep.

How do sadistic guards torture prisoners? They keep the lights on 24/7. It disrupts normal circadian rhythms and really messes creatures up. A little additional hours of light during winter (total 12-14 hours) will keep them laying through winter but again, that places a stress on the birds as they usually have that time for their bodies to rest and recuperate and build up for the coming spring laying start.

They will continue to huddle together on the ground in the litter until they are large enough to get up on the roost by themselves. They go up there on and off during the day to rest. They will "get it" on their own soon enough or you can help train them by going in after dark when they've bedded down and (IN THE DARK), lift them and place them on the roost.

Chickens do not have "bird feet" and though they can do a basic perch, they are far better on a wider footing platform (at least 3.5-4") as they stand flat footed with toes curled over the edge, then settle down on their keel bone to cover toes with feathers. This is particularly important in sub freezing weather to prevent toe frost bite.

Isn't being a chickeneer fun? Lots of stuff to occupy the mind

Kindof lame, aesthetically, but I will add a 2x4 on top of the 2x2 so they can "bed" onto it. I definitely see the logistics behind what you described re: cold weather. It's a chicken coop, not a space shuttle, so the structural shoddiness will be secondary to function, which is pretty basic, really, as 11 birds will never end up weighing even 100#, of this breed.

 

[GC-Raptor]

My hens go to roost 10-20 minutes after sunset depending on rainy or sunny weather.
My coop is darker inside than outside even with 4 small windows.
The pullets at the time couldn't see the roost well enough to jump onto.
I put a nightlight in the coop and that solved it, they were all on the roost when I lockup the coop after sunset.
I left the nightlight on all night.
A couple of times I went out late to lock em up and discovered the bully hen on the upper roost by herself.
Well I went out after sunset the next two nights and watched through the window and discovered the bully pecking the other hens.
After that its lights out at lockup.
A timer set to turn off the light 20 to 30 minutes after sunset would work if your not there to lockup the coop and turn off the light. GC
ETA; I only add light in the morning to keep egg production up.

 

[chickens really]

Seriously I never concern myself. They are Chickens and do as they please inside their own house..As long as happy and healthy they do what they choose. Sometimes one or two sleep outside at night too?..No big deal.

 

[imnukensc]

Chickens do not have "bird feet" and though they can do a basic perch, they are far better on a wider footing platform (at least 3.5-4") as they stand flat footed with toes curled over the edge, then settle down on their keel bone to cover toes with feathers. This is particularly important in sub freezing weather to prevent toe frost bite.

Totally untrue.

 

[bobbi-j]

They're young yet. They will eventually figure it out. Young birds huddle. It's really nothing to worry about.

For what it's worth, this year I brooded my chicks in the coop (In Minnesota in April) with a heating pad brooder. (Also known as a Mama Heating Pad) These chicks started roosting at night far earlier than my brooder-box raised chicks ever did. You might want to give it a try next time you have babies. They wouldn't have to be in your house that way, either.

Chickens do not have "bird feet" and though they can do a basic perch, they are far better on a wider footing platform (at least 3.5-4") as they stand flat footed with toes curled over the edge, then settle down on their keel bone to cover toes with feathers. This is particularly important in sub freezing weather to prevent toe frost bite.

I have 2x4 roosts with the flat side up for roosts. Many of mine fly up into the rafters with the narrow side up to roost. Sometimes it's -30* f here. They are fine. I think the "flat side up" is something that a human decided they needed. Chickens lived (and still do) for centuries sleeping on narrow, rounded tree branches before being domesticated and having their humans "help" them.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Don't know if you have any natural light source near the roost area but adding some would provide all the light they need without having to worry about timers or light fixtures.

As far as the bars themselves a 2x2 should be fine, my chickens are on branches approx 2 to 2.5" diameter and even the chicks have no problem getting up there and staying for the night. My roost bars are placed between 2 windows, so the chickens can navigate and settle in.

 

[rosemarythyme]

That said question how insistent should one be if chickens are in run with house to make them go up at night and close hen house door? I did this but now it is light longer in the evening and my chicks love to roost and come out once I arrive. My concern is night predators. Some nights I leave the hen house door open and go to bed sure they will go in when dark. Any thoughts?

If it's dark and the chickens hadn't already gone in, they're not going to, as they can't see well enough and will simply sit down where they're at.

I personally would not leave my chickens in the run at night or have the coop door open, but that depends on the strength of your setup and your predators and predator load in your area. We do a coop check at dusk whenever possible, plus a nightly perimeter check, and so if a chicken gets caught out, it would be spotted and put inside.