Chicken Coop

[RS16017]

I recently built a larger coop for my chickens in their enclosure. Oddly enough they refuse to use it. Is color a factor when dealing with coops. I painted this one with redwood stain and wonder whether the color is causing the chickens to dislike it. Before they were in a little mobile coop and were laying everyday. Now I do good to get one egg a day.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I suggest you be patient. Chickens are creatures of habit. Change can stress them for a while and that can cause them to stop or reduce laying. They should soon get used to their new home and start laying again. Some never miss a beat but some can be stressed to the point they go into a mini-molt and quit laying for a while.

Another possibility, are they hiding a nest on you? When you took their regular nests away from them, they had to find a new place to lay. That may or may not be the nests you want them to use. That stain won't make a difference to them though. People care about that kind of stuff a lot more than the chickens do.

 

[RS16017]

Another thing I forgot to mention. My chickens refuse to go to roost in their new home. I built a egg box on the side of it and I find all 4 of them huddled on the outside of the egg box every night. I have to physically place them in the coop. I haven't gotten around to putting screened openings in the coop yet and wonder whether the darkness inside the coop could be an issue. Their other coop didn't have any light either though and they would go in it for the night.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Did you leave them locked inside the new coop for a few days so they would think of it as a safe place to sleep? That doesn't always work but it helps. Just keep tossing them in until they get in the habit of sleeping inside.

Light might be a problem. Good question. It can get too dark for them to see to go to bed inside before it is really dark outside. Putting in a window might make all the difference in the world. Or think of how you could add a light until you get that window in. If you don't have electricity out there, maybe use a light stick or some type of flashlight or portable light like that. It would not have to be real bright light, just enough for them to see to tuck themselves in at night.

Sounds like the chickens are not the only ones being stressed by this change. Hang in there. You'll get through this.