Roosting in the run instead of roosting in the coop

[GnarBite]

Hello

The last few nights my 18 week old chickens are staying on the roosting bars in the run instead of going into their coop at night. Is this normal behavior? They were going in the coop before.

I was thinking the days are getting shorter and they are getting caught on there because it gets dark and they can’t see to get down.

My run is secure but I live in Maine so there are plenty of predators and I was thinking they are just bait sitting there. In addition as you can image it get extremely cold and they won’t make it through the night during the winter. I plan on covering the run with plastic but it will still be too cold.

Thank you

 

[nuthatched]

How big is the coop? Have you checked for mites?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Photos of the coop (inside and out) and the run would help.

 

[FunnyBunny89]

Hello

The last few nights my 18 week old chickens are staying on the roosting bars in the run instead of going into their coop at night. Is this normal behavior? They were going in the coop before.

I was thinking the days are getting shorter and they are getting caught on there because it gets dark and they can’t see to get down.

My run is secure but I live in Maine so there are plenty of predators and I was thinking they are just bait sitting there. In addition as you can image it get extremely cold and they won’t make it through the night during the winter. I plan on covering the run with plastic but it will still be too cold.

Thank you

Without seeing the whole set up, it's hard to assess. I would assume immediately that it's a comfort issue and go from there, but the exact discomfort can't be narrowed down until we can compare roost with the run.
I can however say that it is normal behavior, it's their way of showing you where they feel secure and comfortable. Just need to make an adjustment of some kind, most likely.

 

[FunnyBunny89]

Hello

The last few nights my 18 week old chickens are staying on the roosting bars in the run instead of going into their coop at night. Is this normal behavior? They were going in the coop before.

I was thinking the days are getting shorter and they are getting caught on there because it gets dark and they can’t see to get down.

My run is secure but I live in Maine so there are plenty of predators and I was thinking they are just bait sitting there. In addition as you can image it get extremely cold and they won’t make it through the night during the winter. I plan on covering the run with plastic but it will still be too cold.

Thank you

I know when I kept my 3 pullets in a doghouse coop I built for temporary keeping, they quit staying in it after a month and a half and I had to put them in it each night. I realized they had just gotten too big for it. Then I moved them into the main coop and fully integrated them into the flock. It only took two nights of moving them into it for it to stick. No issues since then.

 

[McChooky]

Hello

The last few nights my 18 week old chickens are staying on the roosting bars in the run instead of going into their coop at night. Is this normal behavior? They were going in the coop before.

I was thinking the days are getting shorter and they are getting caught on there because it gets dark and they can’t see to get down.

My run is secure but I live in Maine so there are plenty of predators and I was thinking they are just bait sitting there. In addition as you can image it get extremely cold and they won’t o motivate them togmake it through the night during the winter. I plan on covering the run with plastic but it will still be too cold.

em. you

I taught my older chickens to go to roost early as chicks by physically picking them up one by one and putting them inside the coop before dark then locking them up. (I've never used an automatic door before so I can't help you with that) It can take them longer to learn when you don't have older chickens or a rooster for them to mimic or learn by. Adding a light that comes on before dark and off after dark always seemed to help mine.I still keep a light on for my chickens so they don't have to struggle to see and walk around inside the coop before it gets dark.I now leave the coop door open and let the chickens roost where they like.My chicks are kept separate from adults 6 mo(in a divided run)My original 4 hens are the only chickens that roost in the coop now.The rest just use the nest boxes to lay in.

 

[Mrs. K]

A lot of times problems show up when birds get to be 5-6 months old. What was more than enough space when they were little, is not really enough space when they are older.

If you don't think it is the space, simply take down the roosting bars in the run for a while. Right now, they are voting that those are the best place to roost. If you remove them, or block them off, well more than likely, the roosting bars in the coop is the second best place.

A side note: This winter, do not worry about keeping your chickens warm, instead, worry about keeping them dry, keeping the coop dry, and out of the wind. It seems so counter intuitive, but you do not want to shut the coop up tight to trap in the heat. What happens is you trap in the moisture - that makes for damp chickens and damp chickens are cold.

Mrs K

 

[GnarBite]

I will get some pictures.

BTW I have 6 birds and use an automatic door.

I can say the roosting bars are more comfortable for them because they are 2x4’s while the roost bars are smaller in the coop. They went in there tonight. I plan on making a coop this one is temporary for the first year.

my coop on Chewy

 

[aart]

I can say the roosting bars are more comfortable for them because they are 2x4’s while the roost bars are smaller in the coop.

That could definitely have an effect, especially if roosts in run are higher than the ones in the coop.

Your coop link didn't work for me....but I can guess that the coop might also be too small for your growing birds and probably not well ventilated for your winters.

 

[Mrs. K]

6 adult birds need about 4 feet sq per bird, so you are talking about a building that is 4 ft x 6 = 24 sq feet. I am so hoping you are not dealing with a pre-fab coop, which states that they can hold 6 adult birds, and in reality, they can't.

They really hold about 2-3 birds. 4 maybe if bantam breeds.

They are basically false advertising.