hen sleeping on top of coop at night

[tracy 5447]

Hi, i have a newish hen ( about 2 weeks ) and think she is around 8 months old. at night we have to go and lift her from the apex of our coop to put her to bed, we have an open door on the coop and all the other hens take themselves off to bed but she just sits on the top. i actually think she would stay there all night but i wouldn't let her. as she might succumb to predators. she is normally placid but lets me lift her without too much of a fight. i have noticed she is very warm, my husband noticed this too. maybe that is why she is not going in. she is an all black swedish Svart Hona.
we have adequate ventilation in our coop. its not a huge coop but there is more than enough room for all 5 hens. We are all having to stay up very late to put her to bed as its not fully dark here until gone 11pm. is her body temp the possible reason for her not going in. its not that hot here at the moment 15 c during the day dropping to 6 or 7 at night.
Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[centrarchid]

I would get her in if large owls present or fox can get on top of your structure. Her staying is likely more a social issue where other birds are not making her feel welcome. I would confine her to building for a few days to see if you get a change in her roosting preferences.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I have often posted and I think that centrarchid will agree that the pecking order or social issues among a flock of chickens is never more pronounced that they are at bedtime when your chickens are all jockeying for the best or most prefered roosting places in the coop.

At these times it is always the weakest, smallest, youngest, most timid, or biggest wallflower who loses out or is left behind.

 

[aart]

its not a huge coop but there is more than enough room

What does this mean in meters by meters?
Dimensions and pics would help.

If single 'new' bird was added to flock 2 weeks ago, chances are she is not fully integrated into flock yet and thus is not 'allowed' to go to roost by the other 4 birds. Having a separate roost for new birds can often cure this problem.

Are you sure her body heat is higher than normal?
They are warm animals(106°F-41°C is normal)and can feel 'too' warm, especially if your hands are cold.

 

[tracy 5447]

Hi,
the coop is roughly 1 1/2 metres x 1 metre, there are 3 average size hens and 2 small hens.
I bought 2 new ones 2 weeks ago and the other one is doing fine.
Maybe the hen is at a normal temperature, she is a lot smaller and is a bit scrawny as her feathers were missing on her neck when i bought her. she just feels so much hotter that the rest.
she was sitting on the roof yesterday before all the other hens were in so i put her inside first and she stayed there, maybe i will try putting her to bed first and see if that helps.

 

[centrarchid]

Space is tight for a group adults not yet bonded to each other.

 

[tracy 5447]

i am considering getting a small shed, it might be easier for them