My hens started sleeping outside, why?

[Sanchez]

2 nights ago my Rhode Island hens just stared to sleep outside in the coop, on the highest perch, they have always slept in the hen house, is this normal behavior, they just turned a year old. They still go in and lay but for some reason not sleeping in there, new to this chicken raising, I do have a vent in there house and they have a good size door so ventilation shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Hybridchucks]

A change of scenery!? lol

 

[Hybridchucks]

As long as you are 'ok' with it, and no predators can get in, it should be fine!

 

[Hybridchucks]

Please forgive me if i am not understanding you!

 

[lazy gardener]

2 nights ago my Rhode Island hens just stared to sleep outside in the coop, on the highest perch, they have always slept in the hen house, is this normal behavior, they just turned a year old. They still go in and lay but for some reason not sleeping in there, new to this chicken raising, I do have a vent in there house and they have a good size door so ventilation shouldn't be a problem.

Your post is confusing, because the coop is the hen house. The coop is the enclosed structure with walls and a roof, that is weather proof. The run is any other structure with wire sides, with or without a roof where the birds can go to "be outdoors" The run can have perches in it. A pic of your structure(s) inside and out would be helpful. How many birds? Square footage of coop and run, including length, width, and height, as well as length of perches, and height of perches from floor/ground, and distance from perch to roof will help in answering your question. Also, the night and daytime temps in your locale now, and age of birds.

 

[Sanchez]

I have 4 hens, the run I guess it's called, is 10 by 25 ft, the coop is 5ft by 4ft, the weather has been 40 to 48 degrees at night 60 during the day. I have 3 big perches in the run and one perch in the coop. Height of the run is 8ft, the perch there on is 3ft high off the ground, right by the coop. My birds just turned 1 year old. I just found it weird that all of a sudden there sleeping outside, my run is completely chicken wired/ chained linked and predators can't get in and I have a cover from coop to 3 ft out, which goes over the perch there sleeping on.

 

[Sanchez]

I have 4 hens, the run I guess it's called, is 10 by 25 ft, the coop is 5ft by 4ft, the weather has been 40 to 48 degrees at night 60 during the day. I have 3 big perches in the run and one perch in the coop. Height of the run is 8ft, the perch there on is 3ft high off the ground, right by the coop. My birds just turned 1 year old. I just found it weird that all of a sudden there sleeping outside, my run is completely chicken wired/ chained linked and predators can't get in and I have a cover from coop to 3 ft out, which goes over the perch there sleeping on.

also they get free range all day in my big backyard and garden!

 

[lazy gardener]

Taking a wild guess, I'm guessing you have a mite infestation in the coop, or perhaps there are mice or a rat bothering them at night. How much ventilation is there in the coop?

 

[Sanchez]

I just changed all the straw and I keep clean pine shavings in there also and I sprayed down the whole coop with vinegar and lavender oil 3 weeks ago, there coop is 3 ft off the ground and attached to our shed. I did check to see if there were mice holes through the straw but didn't see anything, but with that said I'm going to go through it again and strip all of it out. They always go in around dusk and the last two days they haven't, so I guess I'm going to have to play detective, lol.

 

[Sanchez]

Ventilation is good, we have a vent through the shed though coincides with it , I may add another one, but it has never been a problem before.