What time is bed time??

Hi, Just got our 5 chickens this morning and wanted to ask a quick question.  All the girls have been happily in the run all afternoon but by 4pm they had all gone inside, it has turned quite cold now but was expecting to have to crawl around pushing them one by one through the pop-hole, is this normal bedtime??

Thanks

very new chicken owner!!

Thanks Sarah for your reply, they have all just popped back out for last play of the day so think you are right - think they probably just getting used to it!
Thanks for reassurance

Tracey

Our cockerel is usually the first to bed just as the sun goes down, followed by the layers, then Rosie and Mary and the meat chickens stay out until I herd them in just before dark.

How do the chickens take to being put to bed in broad daylight? I ask because I'm hoping to get mine soon which means that they are going to be in an environment where it's daylight until nigh on midnight & dawn again by 4am over summer. But then in the winter, it's not light until almost 9am and dark again before 5pm. Will they change their body clock to suit?

Oh the things you think of to worry about when you start investigating. 

Thanks for that Aunt Sally. The summer hours sound good 'cos that's usually when the dogs are first & last out during the day too. As for winter, It sounds like I'd better investigate some lighting for them. Our days can be pretty dull all winter, even during daylight hours it can be dusk like most of the day. I'm already working out how to protect them from some of our weather, so this is just another factor.