what time do your birds roost for the night?

[misterhandsome]

My gang gets settled away in the rafters of their coop around 7:15 in the evening, when there's easily 90 minutes daylight left. I thought it might be because the sun shines right on them in the evening, but last night it was overcast and they still went in. Now I'm wondering if maybe it's because they can't see well and want to get up high before it's too dark inside.

I'm glad they do this because I know they're pretty safe up high, but I find the hour they go in a bit odd.

 

[Stacykins]

Lucky, mine won't actually go and roost until about ten minutes before total darkness. And if I try and usher them into the coop, they look at me like I am mad and stay out later! So at this time of year, I have to wait until 10pmish to close them inside their coop safely for the night.

 

[Mia_]

At 9:15 last night, I tried to move some of them up to the roosts. They were having none of that. At 11, I was able to move them.

 

[flight_chick]

I have 4 hens who were a year old on April 25th 2011. Just last night one of them (Henny Penny) went to roost about an hour and a half before sunset. They have always gone to roost together right around sunset. Henny Penny is also not "hanging" with the other three girls like they normally do when out scratching around the back yard. She was my runt, but filled out and looks like the others. I am worried about her

. Just not sure what the change in roosting and pecking around the yard is all about.

 

[StrayMagnet]

My girl usaly gose to bed around 7 or 8. I have yet to make a up high roost.. as im improvising enclosing under my porch for her and her suprise hatchlings. being she was a stray chicken who had baby's under our porch.

i'm working on something to put up high for her and a easy ramp to allow the chicks to fallow her up.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Mine starting marching in about 7:30 PM. By 8:30 PM, everyone is settled in for the night.

 

[teach1rusl]

I'd say you're right about the lighting situation. My little ones head in around 9 and my big girls around 9:15, but both coops have windows, so they have good visability still.

 

[LadyAndHerPeeps]

As soon as its dark mine are in their coop roosting.It took about 2 weeks before they got with the program ,since the coop and roost were new to them,I would have to round them up and force them to go inside.Now I just go out to lock up for the night with no more rounding them up,which really looked funny to anyone who may have been watching,LOL.

 

[sourland]

Sunset generally triggers the march to "bed."

 

[bertman]

Sunset and the gathering dusk send them to the coop. Tonight I came home late and opened the door to the run even though they were all 'piling up' in the corner of the coop. It was around 815.

They marched out the run--thrilled to get their evening free-range ScratchFest in for about five minutes, then promptly marched back into the run, up the ramp, and into the coop.

They are like clockwork.