Strange Sleeping Habits

[DogAndCat36]

My chickens have been sleeping weird, it started to happen after about five months after placing the chickens into the coop. They are now one-year-old and still do this. I have raised chickens before and they never did this. When I put the chickens into the coop for the night and they finish eating their fill of food, they would always go to the left side of the door and group up. 13 chickens would squeeze themself together in a huddled group area that had a radius of two by two feet (really compressed). This might be strange but what they did when they did this was even weirder, they had this order, smalls under the medium-sized ones and mediums under the large-sized ones, simple right? But they did this really specifically. For example, if one chicken was in row 3, middle layer in the back (I don't know if you get what I'm saying, sorry) they would always be in row 3, middle layer in the back for the rest of their life. And they would do this weird huddle even during the hottest nights and would pant like crazy but would just stay there. Is this some type of survival defense? One night, six of the chickens got killed by a predator and their coop door was wide open. (this thread is not about how they died, so I am not talking about it unless someone wants to know.) and a little bit after, they started to do this crazy ritual.

 

[Darrinhuns]

Do they have roosting areas of different heights and textures and do the have the room to spread out. Also what breed are they because that might affect their ability to fly up . I would have to agree that this is slightly weird.

 

[DogAndCat36]

Do they have roosting areas of different heights and textures and do the have the room to spread out. Also what breed are they because that might affect their ability to fly up . I would have to agree that this is slightly weird.

My chickens have no roosting areas but they do have little "nest" that they only use when they are laying eggs. I have Jersey Giants, an Easter Egger, Golden Laced Sebrights, and a Black and White Phoenix Bantam, both hens and roosters.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

You might want to consider adding roosts. Depending on your setup, the roosts could be attached to the walls or free-standing. That will get them up off the floor and out of the poop.

Here’s my setup

And here are my free-standing roosts in the run. (In the summertime, I also have a 2x4 that rests on the fencing and goes the whole way across the run about 16” high. All my girls can jump up on it, even the Cochin, Brahma, and the JG.)

 

[aart]

My chickens have no roosting areas

Well, then where would expect them to sleep?

 

[DogAndCat36]

You might want to consider adding roosts. Depending on your setup, the roosts could be attached to the walls or free-standing. That will get them up off the floor and out of the poop.

Here’s my setup
View attachment 2068191

And here are my free-standing roosts in the run. (In the summertime, I also have a 2x4 that rests on the fencing and goes the whole way across the run about 16” high. All my girls can jump up on it, even the Cochin, Brahma, and the JG.)

View attachment 2068193

I am going to build them a new coop this year soon.

 

[DogAndCat36]

Well, then where would expect them to sleep?

I heard from other people that when it gets too hot, their chickens would spread out and sleep not close to each other, mine don't.

 

[aart]

I heard from other people that when it gets too hot, their chickens would spread out and sleep not close to each other, mine don't.

Mine don't either, but they do have roosts.
How old are your birds?
..and what does your coop look like, pics please?

 

[Farmgirl1878]

I have eight hens now, but have had twice that number in my coop quite comfortably. The coop is 8’ x 12’ with an 8’ by 24’ (-ish) run that is mostly covered. With thirteen birds, I’d recommend an even larger run. Mine free range with me for a few hours a day, but they still spend a lot of time in the run.

There are two levels of poop decks, each with two roosts made of 2’ x 4’ boards. The lowest poop deck is about sixteen inches off the floor and the highest one is about four feet up. The girls hop up on the lowest poop deck and then hop up on the roosts to the level they prefer. Everything is natural, coarse river sand, so it’s like one big litter box. They dustbathe everywhere, including on the (clean) poop decks. There are six nest boxes and I have five windows in there as well as electric. There’s a water spigot right outside the door. The only change I would make if I were to rebuild would be to add a people door from the coop into the run. I just have to walk around to the people door into the run, but sometimes it’d be nice not to have to walk out into the rain or snow.

 

[DogAndCat36]

Mine don't either, but they do have roosts.
How old are your birds?
..and what does your coop look like, pics please?

My birds are around one year old. Sorry but I can't send a picture, I only have a laptop and it is a school laptop, so I can't risk damaging it. I will measure it soon today. The coop that I use is a wooden kid playhouse that my great grandfather made for my grandmother, it is pretty sturdy and still strong, but I am going to make a real coop this year.