Every night our 4 hens head into their coop and take up the apparently chosen places. Some nestle into the wood chips on the floor and some take a roost. One hen has started (3 weeks now) sleeping in the chips on the floor with her neck and shoulders outside the coop. I had been closing the door at night due to cold weather but one day went out and she was perched right there. I didn't feel like fighting with her so I left the door open and she stayed there. She is now there every night. We're in the mid-20s right now at night. All 4 seem to be healthy and still laying eggs. No comb or leg issues (frostbite). They are cold-hardy chickens (barred rocks and buff orps). 3/4 of the run is covered with plastic to reduce wind and protect them from the weather. Should I let them be or force the issue by moving her (and disrupting them all at night) and close the door? Thanks, Charles
I would leave it be, unless something could get in that door in the night and hurt them. Our coop is a big open shed space with a missing window...we put some chicken wire over the window, but it is essentially open all the time and the chickens never seem to care. I'm going to put some board or something over it once winter actually hits us. Just seems like I wouldn't want to sleep in a building missin a window when it is snowing outside.
Update: We have been in the single digits here in Western NY. The buff orp and another buff are both sleeping in the door. I tried once to go out and close the door once they were in and it seemed like a just caused a lot of commotion which seemed to effect all the hens as they figured out what to do now that some were changing positions. Both seem fine where they are. **** it's cold though! Charles
Close the door. Not because the chicken is sleeping outside, but for predator protection. Seems like every single time I get lazy and don't close the pop door for some reason, we lose a hen. Sometimes we lose a hen just because we were LATE closing the pop door. Went out one night at 10pm after coming home late, and there was a Great Horned Owl in there, happily perched on top of our nest boxes, eating chicken.
