Hi, I have four 3 year old birds wyandotte etc.(including buff orp. rooster) and four 8 month old Barnvelder girls. When the BVs were old enough to go outside we decided to make a separate small coop as we needed to keep them separate till they were grown up and I also hoped this could be a broody coop for later on.
They have more or less integrated as a flock during the day but for the longest time it seemed they were sleeping in the separate coop and everyone decided they liked to lay there. Recently one showed signs of going broody so at night I went down to see if she had left the nest. Well she had but to my surprise no one was in the coop. I went to look at the other coop and what did I see but 3 little butts hanging off the roost that sits in front of the older girls coop but is totally outside (this in 0 to -2 degrees Celsius).
One of the BV girls (the boldest no doubt) was inside with the older girls and and there was room for more. The next day we modified the old coop to make a longer roost so now there is definitely room for all of them but my husband looked and the three were still outside last night.
I am guessing that they just want to hang out with the big guys and that is why they are sitting as close as they can get on the outside as I don't believe there is anything wrong with the other coop since they all like to lay in it.
The only thing we can think to do is to remove the roost from in front of the coop in the hopes that they will go in. It would be rather tricky to move them in at night as we would have to pick them up and go through 3 runs doors etc. to get them into the coop (the access to the coop in front is chicken height).
Does anyone have any ideas or thoughts about this??
thanks very much
They have more or less integrated as a flock during the day but for the longest time it seemed they were sleeping in the separate coop and everyone decided they liked to lay there. Recently one showed signs of going broody so at night I went down to see if she had left the nest. Well she had but to my surprise no one was in the coop. I went to look at the other coop and what did I see but 3 little butts hanging off the roost that sits in front of the older girls coop but is totally outside (this in 0 to -2 degrees Celsius).
One of the BV girls (the boldest no doubt) was inside with the older girls and and there was room for more. The next day we modified the old coop to make a longer roost so now there is definitely room for all of them but my husband looked and the three were still outside last night.
I am guessing that they just want to hang out with the big guys and that is why they are sitting as close as they can get on the outside as I don't believe there is anything wrong with the other coop since they all like to lay in it.
The only thing we can think to do is to remove the roost from in front of the coop in the hopes that they will go in. It would be rather tricky to move them in at night as we would have to pick them up and go through 3 runs doors etc. to get them into the coop (the access to the coop in front is chicken height).
Does anyone have any ideas or thoughts about this??
thanks very much
