My Lucy won't go inside!

[citychicken1]

I have a hen, Lucy. She is not old but she is the oldest one I have. She is a 1 1/2 years BO. For the last three nights she has been sitting in the poop door her butt inside and her head outsude. I have tried to shut the door and she just sits there with it resting on her back. Any one have any idea what might be going on? She does not seem too happy about it when I push her in and will even try to insert herself back in there before I can get to the rope to shut the door.

 

[Carolyn]

Have you checked the coop to make sure everything is as it should be? If so I really don't know; maybe someone else can help you.

 

[Cacciatore]

That does seem like strange behavior. Is there plenty of room on the roost? It may be that your hen feels crowded.

 

[citychicken1]

The perch arrangement has not changed. It has been really cold here 19 and below. The coop is not insulated and their water has been freezing so I have left on their heat lamp. Could she be too hot? Just went out to check on her and she was on the floor! It's cold out there so I put her up on the perch. Hope she is not getting sick. Could she have lost her place in the pecking order and the other girls won"t let her on the perches? Any Ideas as to what to do or what could cause this behaviour would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.

 

[Judy]

If this is a small coop with only a few chickens, yes, the heat lamp could be the problem, her spot on the roost could be too close to the heat lamp. Tell us more about your setup.

 

[citychicken1]

DDwan. my coop is 4x4 with no insulation 3/4 inch pressed wood walls, one window which is covered up with plexi glass at this time. It has 4 vents at top-roof line that are 4x10 inches each. Three of them are uncovered one compleatly, one with cloth hung inside it to cut down on drafts and one with the cloth drape on the inside and a wood baffel aprox. three inches in front of it on the outside. The human door is an old wood and glass pannel storm door with wood stops on three sides-not threshold-so allows some air escape. The roof is 1 inch thick wood with shingles on top.

 

[happyhens44]

Is she acting sick like. Feel her abdomen is it warm in large?

 

[citychicken1]

Happyhens44, I will check her out first thing in the daylight, but her coloring is good she is laying every day she does seem to stand back when they get their warm food in the am and their evening snack she has missed because her head has been stuck outside the last couple of nights when I put it in for them.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Sounds like a nice setup!

I used to think there had to be an air opening down low in the coop, to let air in so the warm humid air could escape at the top, but I have learned recently this is not so, that if the vents are large enough (sounds like your are) that the cool air will come in at the top vents as the warm humid air goes out. I am still wondering if the heat lamp shines too directly on the roost where she sleeps. You really don't need heat with a good coop like that.

I hope your chicken is not sick.

 

[citychicken1]

Thanks ddawn, I should have mentioned that the heat lamp is attached from the center beam of the ceiling. I only turned it on because the water was freezing so fast lately. Earlier in the winter it was ok if I put warm water out in the AM & PM but it is freezing solid in the rim of the container and they either can't peck through or they just don't want to that badly. I am going to check her out real well when the sun comes up, but I went out a min. ago and she was at least still up on her perch where I put her.