Sleeping in the (secured) run

[CherylFr]

My chickens are 6 months old. At about 3 months we moved them into a big beautiful coop/run. Ever since the move, they’ve sleep on a high perch in the run. I haven even really seen them in the coop unless l put them there or I hang some treats.

I live in central CA on the coast with mild-ish weather, day around 60 degrees and night 40s. We will get 7-14 nights of light freeze a year.

Wondering how insistent I should be about getting them to sleep in the coop as opposed to just letting them be. I’ve not been super successful (placing them there a couple of nights in a row, treats, lantern) persuading them this far. Thx for advice.

 

[DobieLover]

My chickens are 6 months old. At about 3 months we moved them into a big beautiful coop/run. Ever since the move, they’ve sleep on a high perch in the run. I haven even really seen them in the coop unless l put them there or I hang some treats.

I live in central CA on the coast with mild-ish weather, day around 60 degrees and night 40s. We will get 7-14 nights of light freeze a year.

Wondering how insistent I should be about getting them to sleep in the coop as opposed to just letting them be. I’ve not been super successful (placing them there a couple of nights in a row, treats, lantern) persuading them this far. Thx for advice.

It would be most helpful if you could post pictures of your coop inside and out as well as your run.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Main reason most people want their chickens to sleep in the coop is for predator protection. So if you feel the run is safe enough for them, and it doesn't bother you to let them sleep outside, then you can continue to let them doing so, if you wish. The cold doesn't bother them much, not unless you're talking near arctic type temperatures.

 

[twendt]

My best friend lives in NorCal and I've visited often , especially the coast, there are mountain lions everywhere, why would you let your girls unsecured at night? I live in a suburb of Milwaukee, WI and I lock up my girls every night. I often find Raccoons around my coop at night, they're looking for an easy meal. I've been keeping chickens for 3yrs and have had NO losses from predators. I think prevention is the best answer.

 

[21hens-incharge]

This evening in my suburban yard....
I had already locked my birds in the coops.
I took my dogs out to potty and they spooked a fox that was making an attempt.

I have had only one breach in the 10+ years here. It was a fox and it DID get into the run. It did NOT get any birds because they were in the coop.

The Fox had dug under where I had removed the apron to replace it. Lesson learned....if I pull apron one day the new goes down immediately.

 

[twendt]

Yep, they always find opportunity. I call my coop "Fort Knox". I built it myself, hubby wouldn't help.... chickens aren't HIS thing.

 

[kerbotx]

It's up to you to decide where they will be the most safe. If you want them to go into the coop, remove the outdoor roosts, so that their roost inside the coop is the highest place to perch. And make sure there is enough light to see by, when bedtime rolls around.

 

[twendt]

I put hardware cloth over the entire bottom of the run, and put sand over it. It has worked great, they also have my entire fenced in garden as additional space.

 

[aart]

Whenever I hear of birds that won't go into the coop, I wonder....
Is coop too small for number of birds?
Is there adequate ventilation in coop?
Might there be a pest(mites, rodents, etc) problem in coop?
Is there an integration issue?

If run is really predator proof, and dry, and protected from strong winds near perch area....sure, they can stay out there.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If you consider your run predator-proof enough whether you lock them in the coop at night or not is purely your decision. You are the one looking at it and taking any risks. We all have different circumstances. Just because I do something one way doesn't mean you have to.

I've seen chickens sleep in trees in below zero Fahrenheit weather with no problems. But those trees were in a pretty well-protected place for wind. I don't know how protected your area is from wind. That's another circumstance that can be different between us.

The way their down keeps them warm is that the down traps tiny air bubbles. Those air bubbles are what insulates them. If the wind ruffles their feathers enough to release those air bubbles they can get cold. The way the feathers grow, if the chickens can turn around on the roost and face into a wind they can handle much colder temps than if the wind was hitting them from behind. Even when it is pitch dark they can turn around on the roost. If you have something like trees or buildings around to create some kind of wind break you will probably be OK, especially if that wind break protects them from a predominant wind direction.

It's possible there is something to do with your coop that makes that perch in the run look better to them. We all have different coops so you can't rule that out. I think it is probably that they just got in the habit of sleeping on that perch in the run and have had no reason to break that habit. If you want to retrain them to sleep in the coop, you need to be a lot more persistent than one or two nights. You need to consistently lock them in the coop at night every night until they start going in on their own. I do that a lot when I move chickens to my grow-out coop. Sometimes they get the message in a few days. I've had some that it took three weeks. I'd take down that perch in the run, take that option away from them.