walking around at night

[treeclimber233]

Why do my chickens roost at the normal time and then get wanderlust in the middle of the night? I have been out to my chicken pen and find chickens just wandering around at all hours of the night. They are not at all nervous or upset. (I don't think anything is attacking them. I have not noticed anyone missing) They eventually go back to bed but then they are up again hours before daylight wandering around. Is this normal? I have many pens and only one pen has the wanderers.

 

[Wildsky]

Your chickens want to know why YOU are wandering around at night?

I've never been out to my coop in the middle of the night - so I have NO clue, the first "sign" I have of anyone being awake is when the rooster starts to crow.......

 

[mtnchicks]

Mine stay inside sleeping in the summer, even with street lights supplying a bit of light, but when the heat lamp (red bulb) is on in the winter, they are up and walking around the henhouse at night. The door is closed for warmth at night in the winter, but I can see them through the windows. My husband leaves for work at around 1 or 2 a.m. and he kept telling me he heard the rooster crowing when he left. I didn't believe him at first, but when I stay up late or go out for some reason at that time, I hear him too. It's a wonder the hens don't clobber him for keeping them up all night! I hope to have a different heat source next winter so that they have more normal sleep cycles next year. It hasn't seemed to affect them much, but I go through a ton of feed because they eat all night, too. Luckily, the heat lamp isn't on every night.

 

[picklespickles]

i never see the chickens up late but the ducks and geese get up every so often.

 

[dbjay417]

some of my chickens dont make it to the coop before sunset and at a certain point they just settle for the nearest shelter. They seem to be completely blind at night. I can see their eyes open, but I can be right in their face and they make no noise or effort to run until i touch them. So i just scoop um up and carry them over to the coop. I've never see any of them wandering around in the dark.

 

[peeps7]

My chickens will usually come down from the roost when I go out there just to see if I have any food.

 

[devora]

It's obvious you have the Infamous Vampyre Chickens. Beware!

 

[jab91864]

I lock the chickens in the coops at night, so if they are wandering it's contained...lol. Although my roos crow at all hours of the night. They use to wait till 4 am before they started but not anymore.

Now my runner ducks, they wander around during the night. Eat, splash in the water tub, quack as they waddle single file. When it's a full moon they can be quite noisy as they go on quack-about all night long.

Julie