New sleeping habits

[ktfitz.fla]

Hello everyone!

I am a resident of Orlando, FL and live on about 1 1/2 acres; our chickens (2 buff, 1 rr, 1 ameraucana) roam 1/4 an acre each day that has a barn they can run under for safety and plenty of trees for shade. During the winter they were all really good about going into the upstairs of the coop and roosting for the night. Now it is getting hot and they roost on top of the coop and I have to disrupt them every night and put them inside to keep them safe. Are they too hot over night in their coop? Should I risk letting them sleep on top of their coop? Our neighbor has had a chicken or 2 killed at night and our dog, who goes out every night, has only ever chased a big raccoon once (who wasn't on the coop side of the fence).

I'd love to hear your thoughts! I don't want to force the poor girls to sleep in the hot coop if they might be okay sleeping outside. Any ideas to cool them down at night would be helpful as well (note: we would need about 200ft of extension cord to get electricity to them).

Also, a picture of our coop and the chickens favorite thing to chase: i52.tinypic.com/148qihv.jpg
(chickens roam the 1/4 acre behind the fence, the dog found the raccoon right where she is laying which is just 10ft from the house)

 

[Celtic Chick]

You might not have adequate ventilation/air flow in the coop. It is possible it is too warm for them when they want to bed down for the night.
You could maybe look into a solar-powered exhaust fan for the coop. I've seen them for greenhouses.
I wouldn't personally chance it by leaving them out at night. Is your coop at all movable? Can it be put in a shadier location somehow? Is it a light color? Windows?

 

[ktfitz.fla]

Quote:
There is a link to a picture near the end of my post. It's a tan-ish color, no windows. The vent you see in the picture is also on the other side; maybe I should consider adding some more? The coop sits under a tree all day.

Thank you for your help so far!

 

[CityChicken1970]

Hello! I am new to raising chickens, I did when I was younger but have forgotten alot. I have one hen that is not being included in anything. she eats by herself and sleeps by herself. Is this normal? I know they have different levels of social behavior, but to just leave one out of 17 hens seems strange.

 

[ktfitz.fla]

Quote:
You may get a more effective answer by posting this as a new thread

 

[Celtic Chick]

Quote:
She may not be feeling well. You could try to isolate her & make sure she is getting plenty of food & water. Maybe put some vitamins in her water or Sav-A-Chik, and feed her some foods that are high in vitamins A & K, especially vit. A. She might have a nutrient deficiency.
Some foods high in vit. A are: broccoli, butternut squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, mangoes & tomato juice.
If you have any of these veggies, boil them up until they are soft & chop them into bite-size pieces or mash them with a fork.
Hope this helps her!