Roosting outside in freezing weather

[BarredRoxi]

We have a well protected coop with a roost and nesting boxes which is heated with a red heat lamp. We have a couple roosts outside in our run and our girls are spending the very cold nights outside roosting. Should we remove the outside roosts to encourage them to go inside at night or assume they'll go inside if they need too? It's been as low as 7 degrees in recent nights. I'm afraid they'll start laying ice-cubes!

 

[Mahonri]

First off..

It may work if you place them on the roosts inside after they've already gone to bed for the night.

Do you think it's the light they don't like?

There are lightless space heaters you can buy.

 

[feathersnuggles]

Welcome!

Questions:
1. Is there adequate space for everyone to sit on the inside roost(s)?

2. Also, is the inside roost higher than the outside one? I found that a lower roost in the run was key to getting everyone inside for the night. Not alot lower, just a foot or two.

 

[BBred49]

Instead of a heat lamp, this is what I use, and my grandfather used the same on the ranch where I grew up, the coop has a boxwire fence around it, about two feet out from the walls, and this is filled with grass hay to the top of the coop walls on three sides. The ceiling was put it prior to the roof, filled with a foot of hay, grass, and then the roof added over this. The back of the coop is pointed into the prevailing wind. The front of the coop has a large window in the side for light and sunlight to help warm the coop during the day. It stays nice and toasty in the coldest of weather. Not fancy, but no heat lamp is required. Just a thought.

 

[Omran]

First

it is really bad for the chicken in frozen temp to roost outside, so to make the life easier for you, just take the outside roosts away for now and lock the chickens inside at dark.

 

[chicachic]

BBRED49 You said that you use hay grass (? don't know what that is) surrounded with box wire ( not familiar with that name either...I grew up in the city loving the country life). I was thinking of surrounding my coop with hay bales outside to ward off the cold. I wwas afraid, however, that rodents would burrow into it. Does boxwire have small openings that would prevent this? Does anyone else use hay bales around the coop as insulation?