Chickens staying out after dark

[chris]

As the title - my chickens are staying out late at night, I don't mind this but prefer to get them at least in their run so I know that they're safe.

First thoughts were mites, but they're cleaned out each week and coop inspected - no signs of them. The chickens aren't showing any of the tell tale signs either, and all 3 happily go in the coop to lay. I've inspected the coop really well on this weekend clean, and can't see any sign of any beasties.

There's 3 street lamps, with those new bright bulbs in that overlook the garden that they're in - so it's very light in that garden - if they're in my back garden then they tend to go into the side garden where they are around nightfall - as the back garden is much darker. If they're in the run, it's dark in that corner so they'll go in the coop.

Do you think it's due to how light the garden is? Tempted to leave them out to see actually how long they'll stay out, but as above want to ensure they're safe!

[Glutton4...]

Chickens are like plants - they'll follow the light! LOL

Seriously, mine like to stay out when it's light. If I go into the coop when they're all shut in and it's dark, the sight of the torch is enough to have them all faffing about again.

The only way to know is to leave them out and see, but I suspect, if the lights are on all night they will stay up!

[polo]

I agree G4 - I go out every night with a camping lamp to do a head count and poo pick. Its enough to have them down of the perches and have them messing about.

Reckon its the streetlights Chris.

Polo

[Snadger]

My cockerels always seem to stay out when they are young and butch! As they get older like me, and the rhumatism starts creeping in they make their way indoors with the laydees!

[Two_Sheds]

It's not just chickens, my parrot thinks it's playtime if I come down in the middle of the night for a glass of water, and put the light on

[Glutton4...]

It's not just chickens, my parrot thinks it's playtime if I come down in the middle of the night for a glass of water, and put the light on

Aaah, now that's a fond memory from my childhood. A quiet 'Helloooooo' from under the cover!

[Two_Sheds]

Yes, she says "hello" then "Kali up?"
or "Kali wanna peanut?"
bless

[chris]

They're in now, I did have to give one a helpful shoe in the right direction though heh. Worse than the baby for getting to bed!!

[binley100]

Just wait till the baby's a teenager........

[Bramble-Poultry]

as we are some 1600 feet above sea level, and there isnt much else around us, a full moon can be very very bright and the birds will try and stay out all night.

i usually put on a petzel light onto my head and wander up tothe barns around 8pm and shoo everyone into it. I have found that stringing up a 150w halogen spot light shining into the barn tends to "outshine" the sun and the birds start to naturally agther there. so much so that i often find the peacock and the feral guinea fowl roosting in there too along with the chickens!

[mr darcy]

you have to make them little eye masks
https://www.hiccupgifts.com/images/bpeyemaskstar.jpg
put them on at bedtime!!!
joking!!!!!!

[Munch]

4-6 out of my 8 girls will roost on the roof of the coop every night (the others safely tucked up in bed)

I have checked for mite and nothing. We have to pluck them of the roof and poke them in the pop hole every night..... not sure what to do. They have been doing this for months now. (since we had mite)

I wish all of them would go to bed so we could look into an automatic pop hole closer but at the moment they would just get shut out

[chris]

Have you tried throwing some corn through the pophole? Sounds a bit of a nightmare - I thought mine were being annoying!

[RichmondHens]

I imagine they are still not happy with the hen house for some reason. If not mite, is it too stuffy, too damp, too crowded? Maybe the dominant hen keeps the others out? Have you tried clipping their wings to stop them flying up onto the roof? If the house and run are moveable, you could try relocating them to a different part of the garden.

[Munch]

I have a feeling it might be dominant birds, its always the same 2 in the coop. Their wings are clipped and the house is designed to hold 10-12 birds (we have 8) I try to make a cosy as possible for them, hay in the nesting boxes and a sprinkling of shavings on the metal sliding cleaning tray. There are 2 perches in the house. The 2 youngest (22 weeks) would happily go in the coop for a while but now they join the otheres on the roof. We are going to be redesigning the chicken area and garden to accomodate new birds for the table, so maybe a change might be the answer.

I do have trouble keeping the ground around their coop from beieng a bog though

Sorry I feel I have taken over a thread!