Roosting in the run vs. in the coop

[Liv4birds]

Hi,
I have six 9 wk chickens. They free range in my urban back yard all day and make it back into the coop/run around dusk so that is not a problem. I have a very secure, walk-in run that has a perching branch. The chickens have been going to sleep on that as opposed to the coop. The coop is very large, nice 2x4 perch, pine shavings etc. with much ventilation so I do not think there is any problem with that. We had a rainy, cold snap a few days ago (down into upper 30s low 40s) and I had to go out and put the chickens into the coop (for fear they'd catch cold at 9 wks). Has anyone had a similar problem? The coop does not have a door to the run since it is a very secure closed-in run so they can just go in and out when they want. Should I worry about them sleeping outdoors or does this set up problems when the winter comes? I don't want to worry about them getting frostbite and freezing. Will they naturally just go into the coop when it is colder? Or do they have no sense about that? Below is a picture of the interior coop and the exterior.


Thanks so much for the help.

 

[hannahrachel]

It's not a huge problem if they sleep in the run (your coop looks secure enough that a raccoon can't reach in and grab your chickens), but if you want to train them to sleep on the roost inside the coop, you simply have to go out every night and put them on the roost until they get the hang of it. Usually it doesn't take many evenings before they start roosting on their own. Keep us updated!