QUIETTTTT

[Nateness01]

We recently got 3 barred rock hens. They stay in a coop in our backyard area. Unfortunately as of yet I have not put any type of a perching stand in it, there's just a bunch of hay. After I put them in and close the door for the night, I notice it's very quiet, not a sound. However we live in Washington where it rains lots, and my question is basically, if they are so quiet they must be comfy in there right? Would the rain keep them awake or not? I just want to make sure that they're not miserable in there. (they have plenty of room) It's wet here right now and although the roof of the coop isn't leaking or anything the air is still moist, that shouldn't really bother them right? Not cold though.

Any help

 

[lizardz]

How old are they? If they're fully feathered, they should be fine. If they're still babies, then they may need a heat lamp.
Liz

 

[Nateness01]

They are all within laying age at least a year if not more.

 

[Nateness01]

I just want to make sure they're allright I'm obsessed with these ladies. I was very doubtful when my wife first got them, but I've become fond of them. I had a carpenter ant problem which has since become non=existent. They must be eating all the annoying bugs around the yard, good for them. Way cheaper than an exterminator!!
Thanks

 

[lizardz]

At that age, as long as they're dry, they should be fine. Some of mine roost, some choose not to, so they'll be okay without the roost. And they'll be plenty warm - we get snow from time to time and our girls are fine - there's no insulation in our coop.
Congratulations on chicken ownership. They will soon take over your mind and you will obsess over everything they do - is this normal behavior? should they free-range? what kind of special meals should I be preparing for them? should I get more? where should I put the incubator?

Careful - they can become addictive!
Liz

 

[PoultryPedia]

They'll enjoy when you add a perch, since they feel more secure higher up (but don't put it more than 3-4 feet high if they're large chickens, because they can hurt their feet coming down from it).
Chickens are VERY QUIET at night, so no 'news' is good news.
Rain won't keep them awake. Chickens have been known to keep their owners awake, though--Worryin' about the fluffy friends!
Chickens handle cold better than heat. Too much moisture in a coop is bad, but I think usually only a problem if the floor is wet, or when there are many chickens crowded in a coop--Health can really suffer in that case. Do you have 2 or more openings (wire-covered to keep out predators) to offer some ventilation to the coop?
I'll bet your hens are very happy having a nice roomy new home with people looking out for their well-being

 

[Nateness01]

It's not a large coop, I would say at max 5 hen's I would'nt stuff any more than that in there. To answer your question, yes well ventilated it has openings near the top that are covered in wire. Large enough for ventilation but small enough so predators can't get in, and the door locks securly from the outside so as it would literally be impossible for anything to get into it, unless it was someone trying to steal them LOL!! I've already found it addicting, I enjoy watching them walk around and scratch for bugs in my yard. The ironic thing about it...we have a landscaped manicured back yard, (and front, which I won't let them near because our house is for sale!!) however the back yard is kind of the kids play area for the most part, and I certainly don't mind having some chickens back there, they really damage less than the kids do!! Besides my yard is rid of bugs. Our boys do more damage with their pretend swords and sticks than the chickens do by just milling around and scratching. I enjoy them and will probably get two more soon!! Thanks for replies!!

 

[Nateness01]

Forgot to mention, we are in the city limits, for the most part the only "predator" is our housecat, which made a conceited effort at chasing them until he realized they were larger than he LMAO!! I think he's used to chickadees, wrens and smaller birds, and didn't really know what to do with a large bird!!

 

[PoultryPedia]

Here are some additional ideas that may be extra nice for keeping your new residents comfortable times when it's muggy and hot (if that happens much there). I shared them on another thread (https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=73327) before about ventilation:
I found that despite having windows/openings in our coops, not enough breeze and cooling actually reached the chickens until we added ventilation openings near the floor. The wire shelves from an old refrigerator are a sturdy and cheap way to predator-proof the openings (Painting the wire black makes it easier to see into the coop, if you'd like to).

Sounds like while the chickens have been catching bugs, YOU have been catching "the bug" of chicken addiction! Welcome to the happy world of keeping chickens! It sounds like you will be keeping your chickens very happy, too

 

[Guitartists]

Only a few of mine even want to use the roosts..... and people have a hard time keeping their chickens from sleeping in the nest boxes... so I would imagine they are fine. Quiet is usually content from what I've seen. They'll get used to the rain, will become white noise