whats is going on with my chickens at night ?

[countrymade]

im a newbie with chickens and in feb I became a new mama of 23 buffs and 23 sliver lace and I have had a blast getting to know my babies and watch them grow , however my sliver lace chicks are very different from my buffs but they both seem to have this issue in common, it seems at night they go in to a zombie like state for example the other night I went out to close the doors to the coop (well after dark) and 20 of my sliver lace & 4 buffs had not went in for the night and they where in the yard huddle in a corner and when we went in to put them in there door ( witch is normally a chase ) but they didn't even run nor did they put up a fight and where we put them down is where they stayed ? I didn't mind I guess it just worried me as I felt like something had happened to them ? they were find yesterday all day and they went in to the coop at the right time and they seem fine today . so are my chicks zombie after the sun sets ?

 

[mortie]

They are all zombies after the sun sets. Very normal chicken behavior.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

im a newbie with chickens and in feb I became a new mama of 23 buffs and 23 sliver lace and I have had a blast getting to know my babies and watch them grow , however my sliver lace chicks are very different from my buffs but they both seem to have this issue in common, it seems at night they go in to a zombie like state... the other night [when] I went out to close the doors to the coop... they were find yesterday all day and they went in to the coop at the right time and they seem fine today . so are my chicks zombie after the sun sets ?

Every ones' chickens become Zombies once the Sun sets.

This behavior is where the old folk saying, "Going to bed with the chickens originated."

As for some of them roosting outside be sure that you have enough linear roost space for your chickens. At roosting times is usually when pecking order behavior is in its most active phase. This is the time of day that the Alpha hens stake out the best roosting spots.

 

[countrymade]

Every ones' chickens become Zombies once the Sun sets.

This behavior is where the old folk saying, "Going to bed with the chickens originated."

As for some of them roosting outside be sure that you have enough linear roost space for your chickens. At roosting times is usually when pecking order behavior is in its most active phase. This is the time of day that the Alpha hens stake out the best roosting spots.

so your saying that they are already sleeping even though they have there eyes open ?
and I have a 12x24ft coop for 46 hens ( and I have the 2 the breeds apart so its 6x12 for each set of 23) so im sure I have more then enough room I think something scared them that night ?

 

[iwiw60]

How many feet of roosting bar do you have in each enclosure?

 

[countrymade]

How many feet of roosting bar do you have in each enclosure?

the whole side wall is roosting bars 5 of them 6ft long ( ladder style ) and then on the back wall is 12 hen boxes / nest . this is the set up on both sides .

 

[mortie]

Even if they are awake, they aren't going to get up and run around. They don't like to move after they get settled for the night. So for example when I go tuck mine in (shut the coop door) at night, I shine the light in to do a head count and it wakes them up The blink at me and sometimes one or two will stretch a wing but they don't run around or hop down to see me. Once they are settled, they pretty much stay put til it's light and they can see.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I don't know what kind of birds you have or what their athletic abilities are. Generally speaking 2 feet of linear roosting pole for each and every hen is my ideal. This is more than a bean counter would recommend but in my opinion it reduces squabbles at bed time. Another general rule is that every hen prefers to roost as high as she is able considering her ability to fly plus her pecking order situation. Low ranking hens or weaned chicks can be (and often are) excluded from the hen house or other preferred roosting locations. So I would make all my roosts the same height.

That was never a problem for me because all my young games and free range hens had anywhere from 3 to 20 acres of oak, sycamore, peach, beach, and yellow popular trees to call home. Even in very inclement weather many if not most of them still preferred to roost in the tall timber rather than in their hen house or what I preferred which was my old barn. Over many years I never suffered a loss from an owl that I am aware of if the hen was roosting in the hay loft. All any hen needed was to make a short flight of from 6 to 8 feet to gain the end of the lowest branch of a tree or the top of a milk stall, and from there work her way higher. Do be advised that the first time that a mama hen takes her brood to roost that this can be a do or die moment for her chicks. Despite the bonds of motherhood she expects her chicks to follow her to roost and she has no concern or pity what so ever for those chicks who are either unable or who are unwilling to follow her.

I know that this is little help to most back yarders but it is very much how chickens act and that seems to be the real subject behind most newbies questions. Get yourself a yard chair and a cold bottle of water (or adult beverage) then sit back and watch closely as, "your chickens come home to roost." Besides being a good way to unwind at the end of your day it is also an education into the working of the mind (?)

of a chicken.