Chickens won't go in coop at night

[MysteryChik]

We have had them for a couple months now. EVERY SINGLE NIGHT they go in right before dark, we close the coop and let them out in the morning to free range. The past 2 nights we go up there to lock them in, and all of them ( 1 Full grown hen and 10 approximately 9 week old chicks) are up in an apple tree. The first night we climbed the tree to get them down and put them in the coop. (I have a "battle scar" from one of them scratching my forehead trying to get back up in the tree)

Any ideas why this would happen all of a sudden? Or how to change this habit? I've learned on here that they are apparently game birds.. had no idea when we got them. We were given them by a friend of a family member. Have also noticed they are fighting eachother ALOT which scares me.. bc I have kids and other animals. As little chicks, they were so sweet and just let my girls hold them. They still do, but I'm scared that might change and they might hurt them. TY In advance

 

[bobbi-j]

I don't know where you are located, but I'd be working on attaching a run to my coop ASAP,as it's only a matter of time before an owl or some other nocturnal tree climbing predator wipes them out. Then do as Aart said - lock 'em in for a week or so to reset their little chicken brains to going in the coop at night. They won't be happy, but they'll get over it. Some people will put a light in the coop to encourage them to come in when it starts getting dark outside.

ETA - the nice thing about having an attached run is, you can keep them locked up sometimes if you need to discourage a predator, or if you need to be gone for a few days or something. I also keep mine in when we have company visiting with their dogs.

 

[bobbi-j]

I'm in MN. To me, a "coop" is a building. Some people have their chickens in those little pre-made doll house type coops. Others (I'm in this group) use a shed type building. A "run" to me is a fenced area where they can be outside yet protected. I need a larger coop because the chickens don't like to go outside when it's cold and there is snow on the ground, so they spend more time inside. Here is a picture of my setup:

 

[Poultry parent]

it could be that something is scaring them

 

[MysteryChik]

that's what we thought the first night. But I don't understand why the second night too, guess tonight we will stake out and see what happens when its time for them to be going in the coop

 

[Poultry parent]

stress could be causing the fighting. do they have enough room? 1 chicken needs about 9'' of roost space

 

[MysteryChik]

stress could be causing the fighting. do they have enough room? 1 chicken needs about 9'' of roost space

Yes, the coop is 15'x17' One hen and nine chicks and the roosting bar is fifteen feet long, so yeah definitely enough roosting space. But the weird things is, at night the Big Hen will be in a box by herself, 8 of the (not so small anymore) chicks will be all in one box, and the other two in a box.. even in the apple trees they are LITERALLY right on top of each other.

 

[Beatrice Potter]

this is just a thought but i have heard before that if they arnt going in there coop at night it may mean that you have mites in there as they will know because they will be ichy and feel uncomfortable so they obviously wont want to go in there.

 

[CluckerCottage]

Check that coop thoroughly for mites, rodents, snakes and mold. They are definitely not happy birds.
As for the fighting, my 9 & 1/2 week olds do that frequently. Not knock-down-drag-outs but a lot of posturing and chest bumping.
How many of your chicks are cockerels?

 

[MysteryChik]

Check that coop thoroughly for mites, rodents, snakes and mold. They are definitely not happy birds.
As for the fighting, my 9 & 1/2 week olds do that frequently. Not knock-down-drag-outs but a lot of posturing and chest bumping.
How many of your chicks are cockerels?

no mites, rodents, snakes, or mold. we clean it a lot! We are new to all this and have no idea how many are cockerels, and how many are pullets yet