New to chickens, unsure about some behaviors

[Gary335]

So it was pitch dark out when I took that photo. The light you see was coming from a motion sensing camera I mounted to the shed behind the coop, so I can monitor the coop at all times. Also hoped it might act as a predator deterrent, should one try to approach. They did actually go inside on their own at some point during the night, although they decided once again that the bedding had to go apparently:

 

[Gary335]

As for the closure method, there are little latches, which I’m not at all sure a predator such as a raccoon couldn’t figure out if they were determined enough:

 

[TooCheep]

I'd recommend putting a 2"x2" piece of wood inside the doorway. The will keep the majority of shavings inside and still allow them to rest there which they appear to like.

I agree that the locks aren't ideal. I'm more wood oriented, so I don't have great suggestions for how to easily fix that. I use barrel locks which require 2 actions to open rather than simply lifting them up. If you are handy with rivets, you might be able setup something better.

 

[Gary335]

The girls seem to be getting the hang of the coop. Both went right into the coop tonight, and one is even roosting on the roost bar!

 

[Gary335]

The girls have thrown a new curve at me tonight. It seems they’ve decided to sleep on the same nest box, one on top of the other. Is that anything to be concerned about?

 

[rosemarythyme]

The girls have thrown a new curve at me tonight. It seems they’ve decided to sleep on the same nest box, one on top of the other. Is that anything to be concerned about?

ON the nest box, as in on the exterior? Is the coop inside another protected enclosure that's predator proof?

Or IN the nest box, in interior? Chickens shouldn't be allowed to sleep in nests unless they're trying to hatch, they'll soil it and it'll become a problematic habit once they begin laying.

 

[TooCheep]

I presume you mean in the nest box, in which case @rosemarythyme has answered it well.

However, this may be a foreshadow of future egg laying comedy. Although it looks like you have 3 nest boxes for 2 girls, it isn't uncommon for hens to decide that they have a favorite nest box. In that case, you may find 90% of your eggs in a single nest box.

When the girls need to lay at the same time, they may struggle with each other over who gets the nest box and sometimes may end up squeezed into the box at the same time. Silly girls...

 

[rosemarythyme]

When the girls need to lay at the same time, they may struggle with each other over who gets the nest box and sometimes may end up squeezed into the box at the same time. Silly girls...

Or conversely you have a flock like mine, where I had 3 eggs in 3 boxes this afternoon. My boxes are large but my birds won't share, so I never got the comedic stacking of hens others seem to get.

 

[Love Donkeys]

I have 12 nest boxes for 27 hens. They only use 5 of the boxes. The hens actually stand in line waiting and complaining the whole time.

 

[Ajb1952]

Hi everyone! I'm new to chicken keeping, and have noticed a couple of behaviors that don't necessarily worry me per se, but do have my attention. I acquired two adult, egg laying hens on Tuesday. The first behavior is I've noticed that both hens slept in the doorway of the coop on their first night with us, rather than inside it. Not a huge issue, but it was a chilly night (temp got down to around 49) and I would have felt better if they had been inside. Last night they were doing it again and it was another chilly night so I decided to nudge them into the coop and closed the door. I came out to open the door this morning, and they seemed just fine, except I'd noticed that they moved all of the bedding material to one side of the coop. Are these normal behaviors? Is guiding them into the coop the right thing to do, or should I allow them to remain in the doorway if that's where they want to sleep? I assume it's all part of getting used to a new environment, but with my lack of experience I want to make sure.

Secondly, they have not laid any eggs yet. Is this anything to be concerned about? I know they've only been with me for two days, but I assume that it might at some point become a problem if hens that are used to laying daily stop laying? Or maybe not? Perhaps this another symptom of adjusting to new surroundings?

Thanks in advance for any advice!