Sleeping in frigid weather

[trudyg]

I have a flock of bantams that like to sleep up in the rafters of my carport. Since it's down in the 20's overnight, I've been going out after dark, collecting them and putting them inside the coop with the 2 older big girls. BUT, without fail, when I leave for work in the morning (still dark), they've moved back to the carport rafters. I really didn't think they'd move once it was dark, but they do. Any thoughts on forcing them to stay in the big coop? (The Carport and the chicken coop, a shed, are all wired in together, sides and roof. This is not where I park my car, but a carport that covers my wellhouse and now houses the flock.)

 

[NatJ]

If you shut the coop, they would have to stay inside.

If you do not want to shut the coop, it is probably a waste of time to keep moving them, since you see that they keep moving themselves back.

Yes, chickens usually stay put in the dark, but when they are determined enough they manage to move anyway (as you have noticed.)

 

[trudyg]

I would have thought they'd stay where it's warm but I guess not.

 

[Red Mangrove]

Chickens are incredibly hardy. I've still never seen one react to the cold, rain or heat in the slightest manner. The lowest it's ever gotten here is 16 American and they just ignored it like usual

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

I have 9wk old chicks that stopped using heat at 1 wk..by choice...
And sleep outside...again by choice...

There's 26...

I've put them in their coop (its just them in there)...they come back out...

I stopped...and allow them to do what they please...

Hasn't harmed them and it's pretty cold here too...27 tonight.

 

[BDutch]

Chickens can decide what they prefer, / and roost where they think is best for them. If they find it too cold in the rafter they will go inside the coop by themselves.

But if I don’t agree with their choice because its too dangerous, I do interfere and make a choice for them.

Fyi: I have two seperated places where my chickens can roost. This winter one hen prefers to sleep alone in the small coop and I just leave her there. The other 5 snuggle together in the coop extension.

 

[MinnPeeps]

Chickens are smarter and hardier than we think. They will find the safest place to roost, whether its weather or predator.

 

[K0k0shka]

If they prefer the rafters and it's safe for them to be there (predator-wise), let them. If they thought it was too cold to be there, they wouldn't go through all the trouble to get back up there in the dark.

Also, chickens don't perceive cold the way we do - they have built-in down coats, even bantams do, so they can take quite a bit of cold and be fine. And lastly, the most important factor here - you are in Alabama. There is nothing Alabama can throw at them that will be too cold.

 

[trudyg]

If they prefer the rafters and it's safe for them to be there (predator-wise), let them. If they thought it was too cold to be there, they wouldn't go through all the trouble to get back up there in the dark.

Also, chickens don't perceive cold the way we do - they have built-in down coats, even bantams do, so they can take quite a bit of cold and be fine. And lastly, the most important factor here - you are in Alabama. There is nothing Alabama can throw at them that will be too cold.

We get down to zero degrees periodically, that's pretty cold no matter where you are.

 

[NatJ]

We get down to zero degrees periodically, that's pretty cold no matter where you are.

Maybe get two thermometers, and measure the temperature each place (inside the coop, and up in the rafters.) That would let you know how much different they are on whichever nights you are checking.

For this, it won't even matter much if the thermometers are accurate, as long as they give the same reading at the same temperature (which can be checked by leaving them side by side for a few hours, anywhere you like, and then looking to see if they say the same thing.)