Ive just gone round to my girls to lock them up for bed and they were in an nearly asleep, it was 5pm and I dont let them out till 830am the next morning, is that too long for them to be "cooped" up?
I just have a small backyard flock (bantams) of one rooster and 8 hens/pullets. The rooster usually takes them in sometime before 5 PM (it's already getting dark by then). I usually go down to let them out a little after 7 am. Sometimes they're already up but often they just start down the plank when they hear me open their door. (Although the rooster starts crowing long before that.) I'd say if they all get along they should be okay in the coop until 8:30. I've let mine out later than 7 am sometimes (bad weather when I didn't want to go out yet or on weekends when I slept later). Mine prefer to be outside anyway. They mainly just come to eat, drink, lay their egg and that's it. I've seen them go outside even when it's raining and peck and scratch around. Guess they're hardier than I am.
I have a pair of EEs that don't get up till 7-7:30 and usually go to bed at 4:15ish. I was wondering too if they are sleeping too much. My BRs stay out as long as they can.
I think it's the weather and season. Mine stayed up later when it was lighter out but now they are in bed at 4ish.
Well after their bedtime story and i tuck them all in and check for monsters under the bed... Maybe about 8-10 hrs..
I think it's an individual thing. I have a mixed flock and about 1/4 of them put themselves to bed quite early, maybe an hour and 1/2 before dark. The rest trickle in, the last ones to roost don't get there until very close to full dark. I haven't noticed any one breed being mostly early or mostly late, just seems to be whatever a given individual prefers.
Quote:Are they spending 15 1/2 hours on the roost (5pm to 8:30am)? Is there light in the coop so that they can get down and get something to eat and drink sometime before 8:30? They aren't going to roost at 5pm because they are lazy. My chickens are outdoors until 8:30pm and later during the summer. It is 3:30pm here, right now. The sun is supposedly up for another hour, nearly. However, I'll see them over by the coop real soon and they'll go in by themselves. However, the coop has a light and part of the reason they are going in is to get out of the darkness and under that light. The hens won't climb onto their roost until about 8 or 8:30. The light will go off soon afterward. They will be back down on the floor as soon as the light comes back on at 6am. They will not venture outdoors, however, for nearly an hour. In another month, they will be indoors at 3pm and they won't come out until well after 7am. However, they will only have to spend the same 9 or so hours in the cold and dark on the roost. That has been a decision I have made. Steve
