We keep saying that we should be able to trust the chickens to get themselves to bed before the automatic door shuts, but somehow can’t help ourselves from going out to check. Its a good job we did check last night because this is what we found.
We want to sleep here
I just can’t understand why after going in night after night they should suddenly decide they want to sleep on the roof of the coup. Only Pepper was inside with the door shut. Dotty, Bluebell and Treacle were on the roof. This is the first time all three have done this. We held open the door and lifted them down one at a time and pushed them in. It got cold quite quickly last night, so I just don’t understand this behaviour. It looks like we will have to continue to check on them each night for a while yet.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
What does their roost situation look like inside? Do they have enough room? They are not pushed up against a wall and have plenty of room for their tails to stick out? You might want to put something on top of the house to block them from going up there. Some hens want to roost up high. It’s their instinct to get way up into the trees where they are safe from predators. So it might just take some coaxing to get them to sleep in their house on the roost and learn that they are safe in there.
Last night they all went inside, it seems to be just now and again that they do this.
Inside they have four perches, two each side of the coup and they are staggered. They always roost together on the same side each night. Last night we took a peep in and Pepper and Dotty were on the top perch and Treacle and Bluebell on the bottom.
They do like to go up on the roof as part of their bedtime routine but used to jump down and go in well before the door shut.
I think I will see how it goes over the next few nights. I keep hoping its just a blip.
Love the hens, xx
They are lovely and I am so enjoying them. You must come and see them when you are back off holiday.