Chickens who won't go to the coop?

[Ketaped]

I've currently got six chickens. Two are the remains of my old adult flock after a fox got in our yard, two are about 3 months old and two are two and a half months old. They're not very integrated as a flock yet, which may be part of the problem, but the 3 month old chicks will not go to the coop at night. The older hens and the babies know where bed is, but the middle children insist on trying to roost on my deck stairs. We've tried locking them in the coop (with 120sq foot attached run) for a week, same as we did with the babies, but still no luck. Every night I need to go pick them up off the stairs and bring them to the coop. What other tricks can I try to get them to put themselves to bed where I want them? This has been going on for a few weeks now, and is getting frustrating.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Unfortunately you will need to keep rounding them up until they do it themselves. Only way to stop it is to confine them to the coop.

How big is your coop? The smaller it is the harder it is. Most lower ranking birds need to stay 5-10 feet away from the older dominant ones or they risk being pecked.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Photos of the set up? Overall, as well as the roost and the stairs.

 

[Ketaped]

Unfortunately you will need to keep rounding them up until they do it themselves. Only way to stop it is to confine them to the coop.

How big is your coop? The smaller it is the harder it is. Most lower ranking birds need to stay 5-10 feet away from the older dominant ones or they risk being pecked.

My coop is about 4*6, but there's a secondary space beneath it where I introduce the young birds to the older girls while still keeping them separated. Then there's the fully enclosed 120sq ft run. It's not huge, but the youngest two just put themselves to bed in the lower coop area and seem to be fine. I just wish the middle ones would follow suit!

 

[Ketaped]

Photos of the set up? Overall, as well as the roost and the stairs.

I'll have to get them tomorrow. We don't have stairs, just a 2*10 board that's a ramp from the run to the coop. For roosts I've got two 1"*1/2" boards that cross the coop. It's possible they're still too big for the younger birds, but they could always cuddle up with the babies that go into the bin in the lower coop every night?

 

[aart]

Photos of the set up? Overall, as well as the roost and the stairs.

Ditto Dat!^^^