Any suggestions for stubborn roo at bedtime?

[Raubkatze]

I have five pullets and a roo. They have been outside for a week, and as I expected I am still having to put them to bed at night. The five pullets are super easy. They see me and either put themselves away, or they calmly let me pick them up and put them to bed. The roo is another story. We play ring around the enclosure with him squawking for his hens and me telling him if he would just go on the coop everything would be fine. It typically takes me at least 20 mins to get him confined.

Any suggestions on making this process easier for both of us?

 

[nuthatched]

Any lights? Windows? Ventilation?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Wait half an hour. He'll go in when he's ready. You're probably trying to put him up a little earlier than he's ready. Go in the house and watch. When he goes in the coop, go out and close it up.

 

[AshVau22]

Some take longer to learn that the coop is home. If it's not already dust to dark when you try and put them in I'd give him more time. He'll go with the girls eventually.

 

[Raubkatze]

Some take longer to learn that the coop is home. If it's not already dust to dark when you try and put them in I'd give him more time. He'll go with the girls eventually.

I've been doing it at dusk.

 

[ForFlocksSake]

Wait half an hour. He'll go in when he's ready. You're probably trying to put him up a little earlier than he's ready. Go in the house and watch. When he goes in the coop, go out and close it up.

I came here to suggest this as well. My first flock drove me crazy trying to get them to bed. One evening I got caught up with the kids and went out a little later than usual and they were all inside. I was just going out there too early.

 

[DonyaQuick]

Have you tried waiting until after it really does go dark? I have one flock that won’t go to bed if there’s even a single photon left in the environment. I have to set their auto door to close really late!

If he roosts outside, he’ll at least be easier to move inside and hopefully less fearful if it’s too dark for him to see. It’s also possible something scary happened in the coop that prompted his avoidance of it. It could even be the chase that is creating kind of a self perpetuating issue (associating going to bed in the coop with a scary event).

 

[BDutch]

How is your setup?
I understand you have them free ranging.

I do this part of the day too. But they stay in a safe run too part of the day.

Since I started to scatter some mixed grains and a few dried mealworms in the enclosed run, I have no problems getting them in.

Scattering it in a very light and bright big coop with a lot of ventilation (the best side almost 100% hwc) can work too.

 

[BDutch]

Waiting till it gets real dark was not a good solution with my chickens.
Some tend to sleep in a tree I leave them outside. And when one starts ….. other may follow.

You need a lot of patience to break bad habits with chickens. Especially after they took on such a habit for several days.

 

[Ridgerunner]

We play ring around the enclosure

To me, this implies he is in a run.

Any suggestions on making this process easier for both of us?

The others go in the coop on their own so it is not a matter of the coop being so dark they cannot see to go to bed.

Try waiting until it is dark. If he doesn't go in on his own he will settle down and go to bed somewhere. If it is dark and you can get to him it should be easy to catch and lock inside the coop.

I have five pullets and a roo.

How old are they? From the photo he looks kind of young. Is he so immature that he is afraid of the girls? Are they bullying him? How big is the coop? Is it so small he can't get away from them if he tries to sleep inside? Are you sure all of the others are girls?

My guess is that you are not giving him enough time to go in but letting him go to sleep first can make it a lot easier to catch him and stick him in the coop. I hope that is it. With them being immature strange things can happen. The behavior does not sound normal so something else may be going on.