wont go into coop.

[intowin]

I have six 5 month old hens. The last addition was a 5 month old wellsummer. She was stressed out from her delivery from another state. I kept her separated inside the run with the other chickens until she recovered and then some. Now three weeks later she is out with the others, with no major picking on. It has been almost a week now and she still has to be manually placed in the coop at night. Each night she is cowered in a corner on the ground, and wont go up the stairs on her own into the coop. All the other hens learned by day two. Any suggestions of how to get her to go in on her own? I think she is still afraid of them.

 

[Chquinta]

I'm have that same problem with my 4 BO. I know the biggest of all of them knows how to go up cuz she's been going up with my Welsummer but my other 3 Bo chicks stay in a corner. I have to manually put them up as well.

 

[azygous]

The secret to getting new hens or chicks to go into the coop at night is to "coop" them up for a couple of days straight. This is often necessary to get them to imprint on the coop as "home" a place where they have a strong urge to return to for shelter each night, and also, when the time comes, to lay their eggs.

After two or three days of being cooped up, they should then automatically return each night to roost there. If you still have trouble with any of them not going in, they need another day or two being cooped up, and then they ought to be good to go!

 

[Chquinta]

So u leave them locked up in the coop for. A week with no light just there food and water no going down to the run area.

 

[azygous]

Well, it's not like a punishment! You can make it as enjoyable as you can! I make sure they have all the comforts and entertainment and treats during the "cooping up".

The idea is to get them very comfortable and used to the coop as being "theirs". It's sort of like regressing them back to being chicks in a brooder again. It helps to narrow down their environment so they begin to "own" it and identify with it.

If your coop has no windows, by all means provide light for them during the day so that they can see what they are doing. It will help to alleviate any incipient boredom by tossing some scratch grain in amongst the wood shavings or whatever bedding you have on the floor. Or hang a cabbage for them to work on. Or hang apples for them to munch on and bat around.

Then try letting them out on the third day just to see if they've "imprinted" yet. If they don't go into the coop that night on their own, then they need another day or two cooped up. A lot of times, forty-eight hours is all they need.

 

[Chquinta]

So I keep mine in here for about 1 week now and they can go down to eat and peck the ground but still until this day 2-3 of them will not go up to the roost.

 

[aart]

So I keep mine in here for about 1 week now and they can go down to eat and peck the ground but still until this day 2-3 of them will not go up to the roost.

How many chickens?
Probably not enough room or ventilation.

 

[Chquinta]

5 chickens 4 months. I leave the door to the roost open instead of the little window since something can climb in the window and they would have to dig under the door on the run to get to the ladder to the roost area.

 

[Chquinta]

I made this extra little run for them. Since they are still scared of the adult chickens and haven't put them together yet.

 

[ChristieB]

I second the locking up for a week, maybe keep one in with her so she's not lonely, let the rest out into the run during the day and back in the coop in the evening if it's too small for all to be in all day. A couple days at first then see what happens if you let her out in the afternoon, will she go back at dusk with the rest yet, if not another couple days locked up.
Make sure there's enough roost space for everyone, I couldn't figure out why my girls were sleeping in the best box, put an extra roost in and within a week they were all up, they just wanted to sleep together and there wasn't enough room on the one roost!