Night Owl Chickens

[mccaff mama hen]

I'm still new to this. I have just two chickens and hear everyone talk abut how their girls go in the coop themselves around 4:30 or so every night. Well, I leave the their door to the run open most of the time unless it's really cold. Well they come out just about anytime any one walks outside or near the coop. They don't even leave the run till 8pm sometimes. I don't know if it's due to the fact that I keep the red heat lamp on? They don't seem any worse for wear, but I don't want to cause a problem down the road later.

They are both 19 weeks and laying consistently too.

 

[PunkinPeep]

I have a regular, white light, that comes on in my coop 30 minutes to an hour before dark. They don't go in until it's getting pretty dark outside, and even then they hang out on the "porch" of the coop until i shoo them inside. I think i would put a regular light in the coop and just turn it off sometime after everyone's inside. They'll go where they see more light.

 

[Bravo]

My girls are night owls too. We have a white light in the coop that stays on until we "tuck them in" at night. I swear, I have had them awake and scratching around the run after 11:00 pm!

 

[Guinea Goonie]

It seems that chickens LOVE to stay up and fight for the roost, get that last bit of feed in their crops, get a nice long drink ....

I have a group of buff polish hens that are the worst. They are up way past their bed time and i have simply given up trying to put them into the pens in the barn.

They eat, drink and run around like a bunch of high school girls at a slumber party.