Sleeping on the gutter/roof????

[Backyardigan]

We have two 14 week old hens and 1 20 week old hen. They have all always gone into the coop at night on their own without issue. However, lately the 20 week old hen has been flying up to the gutter/roof at night and wanting to sleep there. Any reason for this? I’m takin her down each night and putting her back in the coop, but just not sure how to stop this or why it’s happening in the first place?!

 

[azygous]

If you post yourself in view of the roosting perches at roosting time, you are likely to see the 20 week-old encounter some sort of conflict that she isn't willing or able to cope with, so she chooses to take herself out of the roosting melee for the peace it brings. You may need to toss her into the fray in order to see how she's relating to the flock at roosting time.

If you see her involved in conflict, and you can address the personalities involved, you may be able to sweet talk her into resuming her place on the roosting perch instead of the roof.

The key to solving a problem is to identify the source and take it from there. Finally, you will need to block access to the roof until she gets out of her habit of perching there.

 

[Backyardigan]

If you post yourself in view of the roosting perches at roosting time, you are likely to see the 20 week-old encounter some sort of conflict that she isn't willing or able to cope with, so she chooses to take herself out of the roosting melee for the peace it brings. You may need to toss her into the fray in order to see how she's relating to the flock at roosting time.

If you see her involved in conflict, and you can address the personalities involved, you may be able to sweet talk her into resuming her place on the roosting perch instead of the roof.

The key to solving a problem is to identify the source and take it from there. Finally, you will need to block access to the roof until she gets out of her habit of perching there.

I’be been watching her for a few nights now, and haven’t identified any issues other than she’s grown quite large. The three have always been well received with each other. Perhaps we could be needing a larger nesting area? Thank you for the advice!

 

[aart]

The three have always been well received with each other. Perhaps we could be needing a larger nesting area?

Could very well be.
Dimensions and pics of your coop would help immensely.

Could be she's getting ready to lay and is crabby.

Could be too hot/stuffy in coop too.

Where in this world are you located?
Climate is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, then it's always there!

 

[alexa009]

She could be sleeping up on the roof because of the pecking order and she is getting bullied by the rest of the flock. There are a lot of other reasons it could be too. Some chickens just prefer different places to sleep. Hot or cold conditions could very well be a factor too. My chickens always preferred to roost on top of the chicks crate and I would constantly move them to their roosting bar so droppings didn't accumulate inside the chick's crate. This method never worked so I put a box on top of the crate one day and when it was time to shut the barn door one night they were all huddled together on the roost bar. You should find a method similar to this and see if it works.

 

[50-45-1]

You could always clip the flight feathers on one wing and maybe then she could not reach the gutter.