Time change is affecting my chickens

[dae006]

How dark is the coop while they're shut in there? If they're (from their point of view) losing an hour of daytime in the morning now that you've changed the time they get let out, they might well be staying out longer in the evening to try and make up for it - especially if your days are quite short this time of year.

Would it be possible to let them out closer to the time they were getting out in the morning before the clock change?

This is the only thing that changed, so quite possible. The reason I changed the opening time was so they Wouldn’t be let out in the dark. Don’t ask me why I thought I should do that.

 

[kattabelly]

This is the only thing that changed, so quite possible. The reason I changed the opening time was so they Wouldn’t be let out in the dark. Don’t ask me why I thought I should do that.

Before the clock change it was opening at 8am, right? And now it's opening at what would be 9am if the clocks hadn't gone back?

What time is sunrise where you are, at the moment / what time were they actually going outside before the change?

 

[dae006]

Before the clock change it was opening at 8am, right? And now it's opening at what would be 9am if the clocks hadn't gone back?

What time is sunrise where you are, at the moment / what time were they actually going outside before the change?

You are correct with the opening statement. Sunrise in my area (standard time) is 6:43 am this morning and Dec. 20 it will be 7:37am. This is why I changed it to 8:00 standard time rather than keeping it at 7:00 standard time so they won’t be out in the dark.

 

[kattabelly]

You are correct with the opening statement. Sunrise in my area (standard time) is 6:43 am this morning and Dec. 20 it will be 7:37am. This is why I changed it to 8:00 standard time rather than keeping it at 7:00 standard time so they won’t be out in the dark.

It'll already be starting to get light at 7am if sunrise is at 7:37. If there's no other reason to be keeping them in later, I'd change the morning opening time back, give them the option to come out at the crack of dawn and see if that makes a difference.

 

[rosemarythyme]

So you feel like the drastic 1 hour change in the morning, opening the coop to let them out is affecting them? That is the only thing that I changed.

Possibly. The time change also might affect other things on your schedule that would throw things off for them. i.e. I usually bring their breakfast out around 9 AM and then free range briefly around 3:15 PM. With the time change, as far as the chickens are concerned, I'd be showing up an hour late with food, an hour late with free range, and the sunlight is already waning by the time we're done outside, so the change does seem to leave them a little confused and I find them milling around in the corner of the run, as if expecting something to happen but it's not happening yet.

So by doing two half-hour changes instead I'm trying to ease them into a new schedule.

 

[dae006]

Update day 4 after time change: 1 chicken missed the closing of the coop door again. This is bizzare.

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

Perhaps they're...playing chicken *tired ba-da-dum-tssss*
Seeing who can rush through the door before it closes
(I'm joking though)

Is there one who's consistently the one left out? Perhaps she's low in pecking order, or staying out longer to eat?
Well, some low pecking order birds may go in first to get a safe spot maybe...
I've just seen some birds go in long before others to get their preferred spot, and other birds stay out a long time. One of mine often stays out longer to eat, when everybody else is settled.

 

[dae006]

Perhaps they're...playing chicken *tired ba-da-dum-tssss*
Seeing who can rush through the door before it closes
(I'm joking though)

Is there one who's consistently the one left out? Perhaps she's low in pecking order, or staying out longer to eat?
Well, some low pecking order birds may go in first to get a safe spot maybe...
I've just seen some birds go in long before others to get their preferred spot, and other birds stay out a long time. One of mine often stays out longer to eat, when everybody else is settled.

lol, possibly lower in the pecking order, but why suddenly all 4 days after the time change?

 

[my2gs]

My chickens are doing the same thing this week. Each day since DST between 2-4 hens and the rooster are locked out. It's plenty dark, not sure why they're not going in as they're use to. Frustrating!

 

[kattabelly]

Update day 4 after time change: 1 chicken missed the closing of the coop door again. This is bizzare.

Did you try changing the door's morning opening time back to what is was before?