Hens spending a lot of time in coop

[bayoudragonfly]

I received some egg laying hens last fall. They have acted normal the whole time, but I noticed last night they seemed to go up in the coop early. It was really overcast so i thought that had something to do with it. This morning they came out to eat and drink, but all 5 of them went back in the coop. No one is nesting. They are just scratching around. They seem to like the shade, but they usually hang out in the shady areas of the run, not the coop. They did come out for meal worms and then went back in. I did add some shredded paper a few days ago and that is new to them (it's in the coop) ... i dunno.
Just want to see if this is normal or not. Thanks!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

If no one seems sick... when my birds stay in the coop more, other than bad weather... is when there has been a predator visit. Maybe aerial?

 

[PirateGirl]

Mine go in and out several times a day. Sometimes it's the weather, sometimes it's to lay, sometimes it's to watch others lay, sometimes I suspect they just feel like it. First thing in the morning they often come out, get some food and water, then go right back in for awhile. When I come home at the end of the day they are usually out again scratching around. I wouldn't really worry about it unless they are not acting normally otherwise.

 

[bayoudragonfly]

Thanks! I will keep an eye on them. There probably have been some hawks around, but the run is enclosed with hardware cloth and it has a solid roof. It is possible that a racoon could have spooked them at night, but i haven't seen any evidence.