Stopped roosting and stopped laying

[feathermaid]

It sounds like you're being very thorough and doing everything you can... great job! Thanks for answering all my questions, I have a clearer picture now. Your coop is new (which is pretty by the way) and you started with chicks, so I'm thinking maybe mites are not the problem. I think it usually takes a lot longer exposure to the environment for parasites to become a problem, and often times they arrive with "inherited" birds or old coops, not chicks and new lumber.

I missed this part the first time around:

And now they stopped going up into the coop and they've stopped laying. I tried herding them up there, which is no small feat, and shut the door to lock them in. I checked them later and they were huddled at the door on the floor instead of roosting. I thought that might be more stressful than just leaving them alone so I didn't herd them more than once. I did try coaxing them with treats and only 3 of them ventured up, ate treats, and went back down.

Did this happen still during daylight or was it dark? Even in dim light, chickens don't see well and aren't comfortable moving around even though you can still see perfectly fine. I'm just trying to think of anything here, throwing out ideas. Also...

I can't see the perches without a whole lot of trouble, they are too high.

How high are the roosts from the coop floor? If they have to use their wings to fly up there, that takes a lot of space, a good 20" or more per bird while settling. After they settle, they'll scoot closer together and it seems like there's plenty of room to spare. It's possible that while some of your birds get to the roosts fine, others flap up there and knock over (or annoy) the first ones, or there's too much scuttling going on and they just jump down. Have you watched what they do through a window?

I know one of my birds did not like dealing with the others' flapping at all so she just hopped down and waited until they finally settled, but by then it was too dark for her to make her way back up on her own, I had to lift her in place. Something similar happened another time with a different bird, only her best buddy (already on the roost) couldn't stand to be without her so she jumped down on the floor to be with her. Both those observations happened while my girls were still learning the ropes, but now everyone has their place and routine figured out.

Anyway, just wondering if maybe lowering the roosts might help. Also, 9 full size chickens seems like a lot to keep in only 80 SF of space. I know it's not what you want to hear, but eventually you may have to downsize a couple birds. Though lowering the roosts to just 5-6" off the floor could work. Remember, it's not only about how sleeping birds fit on the bars, it matters how they get up there, and how they jump down without crashing into walls.

 

[aart]

Nice coop and run...but tight space for 9 birds.
Got a pic of the inside?
What kind of ventilation do you have?
Crowding and stuffy air can turn them off.

Also...Welcome to BYC!
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, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!

 

[Acre4Me]

Your coop looks nice! Also good idea to use the blocks on the bottom, which will help keep out diggers. Not related to your current issue, but I see the 2side openings on the upper half have simple closures than any raccoon could utilize to get in. You might want to switch to a hasp style (hindged plate over metal loop) where you can use a simple carabiner on the metal loop to more securely close those openings, but can easily open yourself.

So, you’ve diligently gone through the pest options, and haven’t found anything (whew!). Maybe assessing actual roost space and height is next. Given your coop size, I can’t imagine the roost are very high though. If you feel the temperature in your area is mild enough, and your coop secure enough, and they can be protected from the basic elements of wind/rain, no reason why they cannot be given 24/7 access to the whole space. You mention coop is near to moms room, so coop is possibly protected from winds due to the house? If you do this, you need to be aware that you need to be able to protect the lower 2’ and any place near a roost from a raccoon being able to reach in and decapitate a chicken while trying to pull it through. If the openings in the wire are small, you might be fine.

Enjoy those chickens and I hope you get eggs soon!

 

[kagarris]

I will get more pictures after work. I do leave the coop door open since we built the run to be safe. In the spring we plan to extend the run significantly but with no top. I know then I'll have to get them back into the smaller run/coop each night.

 

[kagarris]

I just created a coop page. I'm not entirely certain if I linked it in such that people can see it. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-ladies-lair.74715/ Lots of pictures. I'd love advice if you see something that could use improvement. I didn't get very good pictures of the nesting boxes. There are three of them though and the back one is not as skinny as it looks. They are pretty-much the same size.

When I said the perches were too high to see, I mean too high to see without removing the wall. From the nesting door or from the poop-cleaning door, you cannot see the tops of the perches. Sorry for the poor description.

"Near" to my Mom's room means it is about 30-40 feet from her bedroom window which she keeps open year-round. She's funny about those chickens and wants to listen in case anything makes a ruckus out there. I think it is sweet. She is bold and I imagine her out there in her bathrobe chasing coyotes away haha. Until they stopped laying, my Mom kept us up-to-the-minute informed on when one of our ladies laid an egg. That is, she let us know when they announced to the world. It didn't always mean there was an egg.

 

[kagarris]

It sounds like you're being very thorough and doing everything you can... great job! Thanks for answering all my questions, I have a clearer picture now. Your coop is new (which is pretty by the way) and you started with chicks, so I'm thinking maybe mites are not the problem. I think it usually takes a lot longer exposure to the environment for parasites to become a problem, and often times they arrive with "inherited" birds or old coops, not chicks and new lumber.

I missed this part the first time around:

Did this happen still during daylight or was it dark? Even in dim light, chickens don't see well and aren't comfortable moving around even though you can still see perfectly fine. I'm just trying to think of anything here, throwing out ideas. Also...


How high are the roosts from the coop floor? If they have to use their wings to fly up there, that takes a lot of space, a good 20" or more per bird while settling. After they settle, they'll scoot closer together and it seems like there's plenty of room to spare. It's possible that while some of your birds get to the roosts fine, others flap up there and knock over (or annoy) the first ones, or there's too much scuttling going on and they just jump down. Have you watched what they do through a window?

I know one of my birds did not like dealing with the others' flapping at all so she just hopped down and waited until they finally settled, but by then it was too dark for her to make her way back up on her own, I had to lift her in place. Something similar happened another time with a different bird, only her best buddy (already on the roost) couldn't stand to be without her so she jumped down on the floor to be with her. Both those observations happened while my girls were still learning the ropes, but now everyone has their place and routine figured out.

Anyway, just wondering if maybe lowering the roosts might help. Also, 9 full size chickens seems like a lot to keep in only 80 SF of space. I know it's not what you want to hear, but eventually you may have to downsize a couple birds. Though lowering the roosts to just 5-6" off the floor could work. Remember, it's not only about how sleeping birds fit on the bars, it matters how they get up there, and how they jump down without crashing into walls.

 

[kagarris]

Wow! We got an egg today! I think that means my ladies are happy again. I like to think they are happy and healthy if they start laying again. I cleaned the coop and moved the perches down so they are both only about 8 inches above the coop floor. At first some hens still wanted to roost in the nest boxes. I used dishpans to block their access to the nest boxes, placing them in the late afternoon. After dusk I peeked in on them and they were all roosted on the perches!! I removed the dishpans. I went out an hour later and they were still on the perches, not in the nests. I've done this now three days in a row and they are definitely roosting on perches and avoiding the dishpans. Those silly chickens! I bought them because I wanted eggs. Now I don't even care about the eggs so much as caring they are happy and healthy. They are something else! I stood out there today telling then how beautiful they are and they just sit there staring and cooing at me. Wow! I had no idea chickens were so complicated or so cool as pets. Thanks everyone for your tips and insight!

 

[TwitchnChickens]

It sounds like they don’t have enough room in the coop for the number of birds you have. And do you let them free range outside of the run at all? I would think they will like that and then lock them in the coop at night.