Light in coop, dark outside

[Sherrirod]

My coop is dark due to few windows and the roof over the enclosed run. Because of this I like to have a light on in the coop. Come winter, I'm not sure I want to give them 14 hours of light but I do think I'd like to give them more than what they'll get naturally. They have free access to go in or out of the run at will.

My question is...if I have the light come on in the coop at 6 am for example, and the sun doesn't rise until 7:30 will they go out into the run or stay in the coop where there is light? (There is some ambient light in the yard/run from a streetlight, but not much.)

I ask because while I have plenty of roosting space and an abundance of nest boxes, until the meat chickens are taken out, there isn't enough space for everyone to "hang out" for an hour or two in the coop. I am afraid the younger chickens will be terrorized by the bigger ones if they are afraid to escape into the run.

 

[Debbie292d]

My coop is dark due to few windows and the roof over the enclosed run. Because of this I like to have a light on in the coop. Come winter, I'm not sure I want to give them 14 hours of light but I do think I'd like to give them more than what they'll get naturally. They have free access to go in or out of the run at will.

My question is...if I have the light come on in the coop at 6 am for example, and the sun doesn't rise until 7:30 will they go out into the run or stay in the coop where there is light? (There is some ambient light in the yard/run from a streetlight, but not much.)

I ask because while I have plenty of roosting space and an abundance of nest boxes, until the meat chickens are taken out, there isn't enough space for everyone to "hang out" for an hour or two in the coop. I am afraid the younger chickens will be terrorized by the bigger ones if they are afraid to escape into the run.

Mine wouldn't come out until it's a little lighter outside.

Having the light inside the coop might make it harder for them to see how light it is outside. You could try leave the coop light off but put one in the run. They'd see the light in the door and might start going out there. Especially if they thought there was food out there too.

 

[Sherrirod]

Thanks for responding! I considered that, but the run faces the street and I'm not sure about lighting up the chickens for the whole world to see driving past. It's good to know I wasn't way out there thinking that though! Maybe I can find a way. Thanks again. You confirmed that they won't come out until sunrise.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You confirmed that they won't come out until sunrise.

Not really. It depends on how much light they get from the streetlight.

until the meat chickens are taken out, there isn't enough space for everyone to "hang out" for an hour or two in the coop. I am afraid the younger chickens will be terrorized by the bigger ones if they are afraid to escape into the run.

When I'm integrating younger chickens it is fairly common when I go out to open the pop door that the adults are on the coop floor and the younger ones are safely up on the roosts where they are out of reach. They are not terrorized, just staying where it is safe. I don't know what your coop looks like or how high your roosts are. If they cannot get away your younger chickens may be at risk.

 

[Penpal]

I don't see why cars driving past would worry about your chicken run. It's there during the day and stays put all night.

 

[Bawkbok]

Our hens must have insomnia - when I take fresh food and water out at 5:30 AM (still dark ET), they are laying in the coop door awake, greeting me as I open the run door. Must be the neighbor's light so bright NASA can see it from space that confuses them.....?

 

[Sherrirod]

Not really. It depends on how much light they get from the streetlight.


When I'm integrating younger chickens it is fairly common when I go out to open the pop door that the adults are on the coop floor and the younger ones are safely up on the roosts where they are out of reach. They are not terrorized, just staying where it is safe. I don't know what your coop looks like or how high your roosts are. If they cannot get away your younger chickens may be at risk.

I have an open chicken door they can all get in and out of at will. At night the grown chickens coop-up long before the younger chickens do. (They younger chicks are between 8 and 11 weeks old now.)

At first the older ones blocked all of the roosting bars so the little chicks couldn't get up on them, but I started going out and petting any chicken who wasn't on their side. (It was the side they all roosted on quite happily...until we combined them all to one coop.) I have three 8-foot roosts on the west wall, one 5-foot roost on the north wall (two if they want to use the 4x2 leading edge of the poop board) and one 4-foot roost on the east wall (door is on south wall).

The problem is that they all want to be on the 3 long roosts on the west wall because they are the highest. This works overnight because the big chickens (eleven 6-month-olds) are afraid I'll come pet them if they don't share. Interestingly, their version of share is that they use approximately 4 foot of each roost, maintain an imaginary line at about 5 foot that the 22 little chickens dare not cross, and the little chicks can do whatever the heck they want with the remaining 3 foot and the other roosts, so long as they don't cross the imaginary line. I know they stay this way because of poop placement every morning.

Anyway, I suspect that come morning when the light comes on in the coop the big chickens chase the little chickens off of the 3 roosts in one big mean girl gang. I think this because during the day whenever they see the little chickens congregating, they feel obligated to scatter them in all directions for absolutely no reason. In the coop they have almost the entirety of the 8x10 floor (plus both of the poop boards - cleaned daily- are solid enough to walk on) but there is no place to hide. Primarily it is 3 mean girls who do most of the bullying but everything I've read on here says if they aren't actually hurting anyone leave them to sort it out for themselves.

Sorry for the over-share but I have no one to question or talk to about my chickens. This is our (my husband is more tolerating than enjoying) retirement project and I'm actually really excited about it.

Since I have the pictures here could I get opinions of the coop?? Please be kind. I know it's small for 33 chickens, but they spend almost all of their time outside and it is all I have. We didn't intend to have this many and won't have in a couple of months when at least a dozen will be taken for meat (which I'm sure will give me nightmares). The coop was my old she-shed which is double walled and insulated. the large poop board (brown) was actually a bunk bed. It is about 4 foot off the ground. I know that's high, but all of the birds can jump or fly to the straw step or onto the table/poop board, and then proceed to the ground if they choose. The table is at about 30 inches and the step in front of it is atop concrete blocks so less than 18 inches.

It all works for now, but I'm afraid that once they get older they won't be smart enough to choose one of the lower, easier to access roosts and will end up hurting themselves jumping all the way down to the floor directly. There is only maybe 5 foot from the front of the bunk to the east wall/door.

I have a fence "wall" of sorts that can hinge to the bunk preventing them from jumping down directly, but the really like to perch on the front board. Also, it funnels them through the little birds to get out. I took it down because of that.

Again, sorry there is so much in one post. But does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[Sherrirod]

I don't see why cars driving past would worry about your chicken run. It's there during the day and stays put all night.

I don't know. I guess I thought it might be tempting fate to make it so obvious and attention getting. I live just outside a very small town in rural Ohio. It is friendly and safe, but kids are kids. Given how much attention I've received from running the lights in my little greenhouse, I'm sure a lighted run would eventually come to everyone's attention. I'm not sure I want the attention of a bunch of bored farm kids. I grew up in a town like this in Michigan and as I recall, screwing with the crazy old lady with the spoiled chickens would have qualified as entertainment. Not for me...karma is on my side on this one, but I heard a lot of stupid, albeit harmless plans being made.

 

[Mrs. K]

You are maxed out on space. One can cheat in the summer, when a lot of birds are not full size or chicks, but know winter is coming. People often say they only sleep there and you don’t state where you are from, but in the northern hemisphere the daylight decreases dramatically. Mine roost up at 4:15 in December, and don’t come off until 7:30 the next morning. Blizzards tend to keep them trapped inside.

Do not think that being raised together will have any influence on behavior. Very ugly habit can erupt by over crowding.

All of us hate it, but come the fall your birds need to fit you coop.

 

[Sherrirod]

You are maxed out on space. One can cheat in the summer, when a lot of birds are not full size or chicks, but know winter is coming. People often say they only sleep there and you don’t state where you are from, but in the northern hemisphere the daylight decreases dramatically. Mine roost up at 4:15 in December, and don’t come off until 7:30 the next morning. Blizzards tend to keep them trapped inside.

Do not think that being raised together will have any influence on behavior. Very ugly habit can erupt by over crowding.

All of us hate it, but come the fall your birds need to fit you coop.

They have a large, protected area in the run...roughly 8x12. It has walls on 2 sides, is roofed and connects to the coop. It is open to the south, but almost all of our bad weather in the winter comes from the north or the west. I'm hoping this eases things somewhat.

Do you mean they stay on their roosts from 4-7? Wouldn't that be good? I have something like 35+ feet of roost space if they want to use it, plus the floor.

By November the youngest chickens should be big enough to harvest. Actually, we will do it then even if they aren't because we obviously don't want to be working in the super cold and snow. We will take at least a dozen of them, leaving around 20 to over-winter. By then, they should all be close to the same size. I was hoping that would make them more accepting of one another.

That should be alright shouldn't it?