Girls are roosting outside just when it starts getting cold? Help!

[FrostRanger]

Thank you. I’m going to address the ventilation issue immediately and am in the process of building out the larger run. I’ll have to stick to the coop space for the time being. I hope that with better ventilation and the adequate run space, at least the birds habitat issues will be met. I’ve been fortunate this far that the birds have had enough free ranging each day to get the exercise they need.

I really appreciate the numbers. I math out the 1-3 sq feet of ventilation and get on that pronto.

Thank you.

It's not exercise that's the issue, the issue is as conflicts arise they need space to get away. Imagine kids in a backseat, they're bickering complaining "he touched me!", "get your elbow out of my face" and just generally getting on each others' nerves. Obviously they don't spend all their time like that but for the time they are like that they are driving everyone nuts. With chickens bedtime in particular is when disputes are likely to arise especially in the short days of winter. Even if they free range and just sleep and lay eggs in the coop you still can't get away with a too small coop. Some flocks will tolerate a small coop better than others and other require more space than usual, it comes down to the personalities involved how many issues you'll run into but if you add more birds you want more than enough room as the newcomers will be chased and pushed around for a while

 

[rosemarythyme]

Curious, I asked Frost Ranger too:

One of them or more- I found three eggs- laid the day before or yesterday. Is there any correlation between first time laying and not going into the coop?

Unlikely, but as FrostRanger mentioned, a change in hormones can make birds less tolerant of others close by, though I doubt that made them all decide they need to be outside.

 

[Carob Carol]

If they are well blocked from any wind, they should be okay.

Are they safe from predators?

 

[Anon112]

Are they safe from predators?

You'd have to ask the OP, but I assumed she's working with a run/coop that is safe from predators. But this is a good point: if the coop is secure but the run is not, you would really want to get on that.

 

[Bantam bell Wood]

I’m

Unlikely, but as FrostRanger mentioned, a change in hormones can make birds less tolerant of others close by, though I doubt that made them all decide they need to be outside.

I increased the ventilation in the coop a bit this afternoon.

I work long hours. I’m not seeing the girls during the day (short days) Mon-Fri, so I can’t gauge their behavior all that well, but they seemed happy. Tonight when I went to shut the coop up after dark (4:30ish) two of them flew from the outdoor roost into the coop and moments after the other two followed.

I also found another egg today. I have three Easter Eggers and have gotten four eggs since Thursday night, so it’s got to be more than one EE whose laying. Knowing their hormones are changing, I’ll be sure to keep as close an eye on them as possible. FrostRanger mentioned that some flocks tolerate tighter quarters. This is my first experience with chickens and they seem happy together.

I’m wondering, after seeing their behavior tonight, and after you making me think about hormones, if maybe there’s something about the change in hormones beyond ventilation or coop size that’s contributing to the sleeping outdoors change. They certainly didn’t make the choice to sleep on the outside roost when the temperatures plummeted and we had below zero windchills. That presents the element of rhyme and reason I want to understand.

I really appreciate your time. Thank you!

 

[rosemarythyme]

That presents the element of rhyme and reason I want to understand.

Chickens are good at making sense to chickens. What seems like an obvious choice to them makes no sense to us.

Guess one other thing to look at, is the interior of the coop brightly lit enough at dusk for them to be able to navigate around inside? Winter gloom can make it even dimmer inside, especially if the coop doesn't have a lot of windows or sits in a shaded area.

 

[Bantam bell Wood]

It's not exercise that's the issue, the issue is as conflicts arise they need space to get away. Imagine kids in a backseat, they're bickering complaining "he touched me!", "get your elbow out of my face" and just generally getting on each others' nerves. Obviously they don't spend all their time like that but for the time they are like that they are driving everyone nuts. With chickens bedtime in particular is when disputes are likely to arise especially in the short days of winter. Even if they free range and just sleep and lay eggs in the coop you still can't get away with a too small coop. Some flocks will tolerate a small coop better than others and other require more space than usual, it comes down to the personalities involved how many issues you'll run into but if you add more birds you want more than enough room as the newcomers will be chased and pushed around for a while

I appreciate the insights and do recognize that sometimes at night they squabble a bit. I’m also glad to read that it has a lot to do with personalities. For a hot minute, I was thinking I was missing something because they are an appear to be happy little crew together.

I increased the ventilation a bit this afternoon and I’m exploring ideas about ways to add more air. I’m being intentional about understanding the air flow, so I don’t have new problems to attend to after these modifications.

I don’t have any immediate plans to increase the flock. I’m considering the idea of adding two birds next spring or the spring after depending on my birds egg production, but I wouldn’t sacrifice the health or well being of the birds. I’m keeping chickens, so I know where my eggs are coming from. I really enjoy them, but don’t have a the time or appetite for a large flock.

I’m in the process of building their larger run with a coop modification. I’m not increasing the size of the coop for the time being, but have some options, ideas, and material to switch things up at some point.

They started laying after their outdoor roosting escapades, don’t show any signs of respiratory issues, or frostbite thankfully. Their appetites are good, they’re enjoying the warm water a couple/few times a day, and they are still getting along well. I will keep a keen ad possible eye on them to try to better understand their behavior. I really appreciate you pointing out the need for more air and overall space.

Thanks

Chickens are good at making sense to chickens. What seems like an obvious choice to them makes no sense to us.

Guess one other thing to look at, is the interior of the coop brightly lit enough at dusk for them to be able to navigate around inside? Winter gloom can make it even dimmer inside, especially if the coop doesn't have a lot of windows or sits in a shaded area.

Oh my gosh! That is what I was thinking. I noticed that the flashlight I placed on the ground was pointing at the coop door…

I thought, hmm, maybe they need a little light to figure out where to go.

During the first snow the sky was very dark. The snow coming down coupled with the partially tarped run, created a darker than usual environment.

The following night we had heavy cloud cover all day.

I am thinking the white on the ground is so apt at reflecting light that there’s a chance the girls aren’t realizing how dark it is until it’s too late. The night of the big freeze was proceeded by a day of big freeze and I’m betting they were inside keeping warm before the sun went down.

Thanks for writing that! It helps knowing someone else is considering the same idea.

Appreciate it, thank you.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Oh my gosh! That is what I was thinking. I noticed that the flashlight I placed on the ground was pointing at the coop door…

I thought, hmm, maybe they need a little light to figure out where to go.

Something like a battery powered puck light, or a rechargeable camping light, is probably enough to help make the coop more navigation friendly if you think that might be the issue. Just make sure to turn it off after they're in for the night.