One of My Girls keeps going on top of the coop at night

[Chickenmandan5]

Last night I was amazed when all three of my girls were on top of the coop when normally they go inside the coop at night. Today just one of my girls was on top of the coop while the others were inside. When i saw her i pet her and told her it's okay. She was making a high pitched almost purr not sure if any of you are familiar with that sound? Didn't know if she was in pain or something? Is this normal behavior for hens to do? The hen in particular rarely roosts on the tall roosts i made for them in the run so it's odd that she is roosting on top of the coop at night. Any feedback would be great thanks!

 

[3KillerBs]

What are the dimensions of the coop and run? Could you show us photos of your setup?

 

[Chickenmandan5]

This is the coop i have
Exterior dimensions: 81" wide x 33.5" deep x 50.4" tall, at peak
Interior dimensions, house: 25.6" wide x 25.6" deep, excluding nest box
Interior dimensions, nest box: 12" wide x 21.6" deep x 14" at highest (12" high at lowest)
Included run dimensions: 68.5" wide x 27.25" deep x 38.5" high.
Run height under house: 15.75" high
Add-on Run dimensions: 42" wide x 27.25" deep x 38.5" high

I have a separate run that is aroun 12 feet by 12 feet

 

[3KillerBs]

I think I see two things probably going on there,

First, chickens like to roost in the highest possible place.

Second, that coop is very small, only 4 square feet inside -- which is the amount of space usually suggested for one chicken. It's possible that the one you're finding outside is being kicked out by the others because they feel too crowded.

You will probably find this thread interesting: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-renovated-prefab-coop.1440258/

It's very common for people who are new to chickens to find that the manufacturer of the coop they bought exaggerated the numbers of how many chickens the coop was suited for.

Having the 12'x12' run is great for the daytime. Maybe you could attach the 2 together?

 

[Mrs. K]

^^^ post hit it right on the nail. They are darling coops, but way too small.

Mrs K

 

[Chickenmandan5]

Thank you for the feedback! The one who was on top of the coop today is the Boss chicken so i can't see her getting kicked out. I added a second level/upper shelf to my coop where two sleep at night but it could easily fit three, she normally sleeps on the bottom level which she has been doing for a while. But yeah, i would like to expand my coop and add more girls in the future

 

[Chickenmandan5]

How big are your coops? The inside of my coop is about the same size as this one

 

[aart]

She was making a high pitched almost purr not sure if any of you are familiar with that sound? Didn't know if she was in pain or something?

I doubt it was pain. Just 'talking'.

Has this been going on since you added the on bird here?:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/is-my-silkie-okay.1434341/
Are all your birds silkies?

Pics of your actual coop, inside and out, and run would be much more helpful than pics from the internet.

 

[Chickenmandan5]

 

[3KillerBs]

My current coop, intended for 4 chickens, is 4 feet wide by 4 feet long by approximately 4 feet tall and I think it's as small as a chicken coop should ever be made.

I currently have 5 POL pullets in it and am watching for signs of trouble while we're in the process of salvaging wood to build the new, MUCH larger coop (getting the hardware cloth may be the hardest part).

It helps that I have a 600+ square foot pen (Premier1 electric poultry netting), and live in a mild climate where they are never restricted to their coop by weather (they actually did come out between rain bands during the hurricanes we had this summer).