It has gotten cold here in the Ozarks. Last night was our first freeze advisory. Some of the chickens have figured out the coop is now pest-free and are sleeping inside once again. Three to four of them are still trying to spend the night in a tree, and about five try to sleep on the top of the fence that makes up their enclosure. I go out every evening and gently toss their little butts into the coop.
"We're stubborn. We like sleeping in the cold.
"I like sleeping in this cedar tree and pooping all over it."
Loudmouth's butt. She's the smartest chicken of them all. She always sleeps in the coop or in a nest box and used to be my most consistant layer until we got the roosters.
On warmer nights, after putting them back into their pen, some chickens chose to sleep on these boards...and shit all over them.
The above two photos were taken during the Great Mite Infestation of 2017. At this time the chickens were refusing to use the coop in any way, shape, or form.
So the chickens are pest-free now and starting to use the coop again. Hooray! Accomplishment feels good!...except now I'm afraid Forghorn has the pox...sigh...off to the farm store again...