pushy hens

[pinkstons]

I have recently moved and created a new coop for a few of the hens I kept when I moved. I am in California, the Sacramento region where at night, we are seeing degrees into the 30's. I have noticed that one or two of my hens are sleeping outside in the run, protected, but exposed to the cold. I believe this is because of the hen that is "guarding" the entrance to the coop. Should I be concerned that she will not fare well in the cold? I have a heat lamp inside the coop, which I hope will keep the girls producing, should I not look for eggs from the hen sleeping outside?
Does anyone know how to handle the guard hen? I am hoping this works itself out.

 

[AlicesSilkies]

I had a very similar problem, and it worked out in the end, so dont worry, is it a new coop? Because if it is the 2 hens that sleep outside probably haven't figured out the new entrance, so keep putting them in every night and they will soon figure it out.

And if it is a naughty hen that wont let them in, then maybe you could try and put the other 2 in first then the naughty one in last..??
Just a couple of ideas, hope it works out

 

[galefrances]

I've never had to deal with a 'pushy' hen, but what I can tell you is that you don't have to worry about the hens outside in the cold. Chickens will naturally adapt to weather changes and can tolerate temperatures much colder than that. Keeping a heat lamp in the coop can be very dangerous, so often you hear of fires starting with those. And once you've heated the coop, you've taken away the chickens ability to naturally adapt to weather changes. What will happen if your electric should go out during the night? Your chickens may not tolerate the cold at all if they have always had heat. Think about it this way: birds in the wild stay out in all kinds of inclement weather and they survive just fine. That's why they have feathers. I live in an area where we get temps near zero. My coop is not heated nor is it insulated. Most of my birds are cold tolerant, but I have two Sicilian Buttercups that are Mediterranean and are heat tolerant instead of cold. I worried this winter and almost rehomed them because I thought they would never survive our winter here. But, they have been fine. They even go outside and free range in the snow and their egg production is the highest for their breed. So that 's what I mean about birds adapting naturally. I know I've been long winded here, but the bottom line is, your birds will be just fine outside.