I have a coop in my yard that I have built a 10 foot long by 5 foot wide by 8 foot high cage around. When my chickens (5) were small they all went in the coop at night and slept. When they got big they all started sleeping on the roof of the coop. This made for a very messy roof. So to get them off I put a perch in the cage next to the coop so their droppings would hit the hay on the ground. Now it is getting colder and I want them to sleep in the coop again. I made the coop bigger (because I thought space was the issue). I took down the perch and put them in the coop and closed the door a few nights (egg production stopped..must have stressed them and gave them less hours of light). After a few days I waited to see if they would go in on their own and they have returned to the roof. I put the perch back up to get them off the roof. I read they can withstand very cold temperatures but I am not sure they will survive the entire winter sleeping outside the coop. Will they ever go back in on their own? What should I do?
