Why are my hens so weird?

[629864]

So, I've said in passing in other threads that my 16 RIR laying hens refuse to be "caged" and resist going into the protected run at night and will only go into the fenced (but not covered) run. But this evening, I go out: pitch black, damp ground from heavy rains last night, 38°F...and only 6 of the hens are in the actual henhouse. Of those six, four are on the roosting bars and two are on a pile of straw on the floor in the corner. The other ten??? Three are roosting on the upturned roots of a giant fallen tree (this I understand). One is on a "branch" of a sucker root about a foot off the ground, with two others on the ground at the base of that main tree. Three huddled on the cold wet ground against the chain link fence. And one off by herself against another side of the chain link fence about 5 feet away from those by the tree.

The henhouse, to explain, has been regularly treated with ash and diatomaceous earth to prevent mites. I clean out poop piles every morning and add fresh straw every few days. There are two 6-foot wide roosting bars and 9 nesting boxes. Not that it's ideal to use nesting boxes for sleeping, but my point is that there is room for the rest of the ladies...even if it's not perfect. The ladies all lay their eggs in the nesting boxes and eat from the hanging feeder regularly, so it's not like they're opposed to entering the henhouse. Why on earth are they sleeping ... on the cold wet earth????? And against a chain link fence where a predator that does make it's way past the dogs could grab them through the fence??? The roosting bars were mostly free with two hens on each. I don't understand why they'd choose to sleep in such inhospitable conditions as wet cold ground when there's cozy dry house to sleep in.

Any thoughts?

 

[Gigi_The_Chicken]

When I was training mine to go in at night, I would pluck them up one by one and place them in the coop. I did this for a few months until they started doing it on their own. Sometimes, you just gotta be straightforward about it.

 

[629864]

As an afterthought, I'm thinking that rather than try to force my way on them, maybe I could add some boxes with straw out in the run where they could at least get out of the elements instead of sleeping on the ground.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Photos of your coop, inside and out?

Have you had these birds since they were chicks, or did you get them when they were older? Have they ever slept inside the coop?

 

[629864]

When I was training mine to go in at night, I would pluck them up one by one and place them in the coop. I did this for a few months until they started doing it on their own. Sometimes, you just gotta be straightforward about it.

I tried this several weeks ago (all of mine I adopted after they were already grown and accustomed to being fully free range). The result was a bunch of freaked out birds frantically trying to escape the evil henhouse.

 

[629864]

Photos of your coop, inside and out?

Have you had these birds since they were chicks, or did you get them when they were older? Have they ever slept inside the coop?

No, these 10 have never slept in the coop. I just wish they'd not sleep on the cold wet ground. So maybe adding more hiding places to the run would be a good compromise.

 

[aart]

Lock them in the coop for a week or so.....to home them.

The henhouse, to explain, has been regularly treated with ash and diatomaceous earth to prevent mites.

Neither ash nor DE will really prevent nor eliminate an infestation.


Have you checked them, and the coop, over real well for mites and/or lice?

Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

Good post about mite ID by Lady McCamley:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

 

[629864]

Lock them in the coop for a week or so.....to home them.


Neither ash nor DE will really prevent nor eliminate an infestation.


Have you checked them, and the coop, over real well for mites and/or lice?

Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

Good post about mite ID by Lady McCamley:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

Thanks aart for the thoughts. I've gotten the ladies fairly accustomed to being picked up and handled. I've checked them for mites since we got them. At first, they were (from a newbie's standpoint) pretty bad. But after being here on our patch of earth and having access to good food and loads of places for dust baths, I haven't found a single mite in months. I'll go out and check their coop like you said tomorrow evening after dark.

 

[rosemarythyme]

No, these 10 have never slept in the coop.

Assuming the coop is large enough and ventilated enough to safely do so, I agree with aart, lock them inside the coop for a few days to as long as a week, and that will home them to it.

 

[3KillerBs]

Photos and dimensions of the coop and run would be helpful.

Hens refusing to sleep in the coop often, not always but *often*, indicates that there is some problem with the coop -- from a hen's point-of-view if not from a human's point-of-view.