Do your chickens always go to the coop at night?

[glenwolde]

I have 4 chickens and they are 2 months old. They are doing great. We have a small tractor chicken coop and most of the time they go into their coop at night and I close the door. But several times now I have found them on top of the chicken run cuddled up next to the attached coop. I thought maybe because here in Texas it's so warm and humid at night. Any other thoughts.

 

[jewelsoftime]

I have one or 2 in a small coop that sleep on their outdoor roost occasionally, it is enclosed in a run. All in our large coop go inside every night.

 

[rosemarythyme]

How well ventilated is the coop area? I can't blame them for not wanting to go in if it's too warm in there. Photos?

 

[pozees2]

Check the coop for mites, I had one who would refuse to go in and after having to put her in twice I checked the coop and discovered mites. Unless they have a place to sleep outside the coop that is 100% safe, you should put them in and close the door. Night predators are persistent and if they see a meal sitting there, they will try to get to them.

 

[PioneerChicks]

In my experience, sometimes young chickens want something different and try sleeping on the coop, and sometimes they just prefer it to the indoor roosts. I just keep putting them in at night and they catch on eventually. They should grow out of it.

 

[aart]

How well ventilated is the coop area? I can't blame them for not wanting to go in if it's too warm in there. Photos?

DittoDat!
Might also be getting crowded if coop is too small.

 

[digbychris]

I have never, ever, had chickens that would always return to their coop. Some do, some want to roost wherever they want and make a mess there. For that & for safety reasons I give scratch grains at evening feeding time. They know it’s treat time and come up on their own at a certain time & I lock them in. But no, as a whole, and with various breeds, I’ve never had all come in at night.

 

[glenwolde]

Here is a picture of my coop. It's new and only been used for 1-1/2 months. The board on the coop is to keep the rain from leaking inside. I clean the coop every 2 weeks, and I add shavings once in between. My chickens LOVE watermelon!! And we just discovered a baby opossum eating the watermelon in the backyard this week. I plan to call Animal Control tomorrow and get a trap. They will pick it up and move it elsewhere. I don't know if this has anything to do with their behavior.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I don't know if this has anything to do with their behavior.

It could, possibly, though that would make me want to make sure they go in at night.

From this photo I only see the one little slit vent on the back. Anything else on the other two sides we can't see?

Chickens need enough light to be able to see inside at dusk to safely navigate around - you can artificially add light but personally I like natural light as it's completely maintenance free.

They also need sufficient ventilation to let ammonia, moisture and excess heat out of the coop. The recommended minimum is 1 sq ft of ventilation per bird, but if it's hot they really should get more than that.