My chickens are now 12 weeks old. They have been in their coop/run since they were 3 weeks old. Each night I look out at dusk and they have taken their little fuzz-butts inside the coop and are all bedded down in a chicken pile, so I go out and shut up the coop and everyone is happy. I've been waiting for the night that they are roosted instead of piled.
Well, last night I kept looking out and kept seeing them all piled up in the corner of the run. Finally, my DH and I went out and looked and here are two of them roosted in the coop and the rest are in their nightly chicken pile, but still out in the run!
We spent about 10 minutes running around after chickens and carrying them to the coop and stuffing them in the hen door. Cyril, the rooster, was last, being the hardest to catch, but we finally got them all inside and shut up for the night. I was worried that maybe there was a reason they were afraid of the coop, so I went down an hour or two later with the flashlight, but nine of them were up on the roost and three were still piled up in a corner.
Everything looked secure. This morning everybody was waiting at the hen door just like nothing had ever happened.
Were they just afraid of those two intrepid chickens who decided to roost? Are they just idiots?
Tell me I'm not going to be chasing chickens every night!
Well, last night I kept looking out and kept seeing them all piled up in the corner of the run. Finally, my DH and I went out and looked and here are two of them roosted in the coop and the rest are in their nightly chicken pile, but still out in the run!

We spent about 10 minutes running around after chickens and carrying them to the coop and stuffing them in the hen door. Cyril, the rooster, was last, being the hardest to catch, but we finally got them all inside and shut up for the night. I was worried that maybe there was a reason they were afraid of the coop, so I went down an hour or two later with the flashlight, but nine of them were up on the roost and three were still piled up in a corner.

Were they just afraid of those two intrepid chickens who decided to roost? Are they just idiots?

Tell me I'm not going to be chasing chickens every night!
