Chicken won’t go in hen house at night

[Bear1978]

Hmm.. I wonder if you made another vent/window closer towards the middle or right side of the pop door area and another one on the opposite wall but right across from the other one? Just a thought. But I’m not chicken whisperer.

 

[Deenok]

So are you putting them in before dark, or after dark? If you get them in before it gets dark, then they should get used to settling down to sleep inside.

I can think of two ways to get them in:

Put something tasty inside, then shut them in when they go in to eat.

"Something tasty" might just be their usual food with some water added--chickens seem to really like it that way.

Or herd them in. Just walk toward them, so they walk away from you--and keep steering them toward the doorway. Then shut them in.

If they're so tame they'll stand still and get stepped on, herding won't work. But as long as they're willing to move a little away, it does work. No need to run and chase, you just want them to wander calmly the correct direction.

They don’t run walk away at all they stay perfectly still when I pick them up. So herding definatly doesn’t work. But I put them up every night as soon as I see very very little light outside like 9 or 915. I keep hoping they will get scared and go in by them selves. I handle them every day and I can pet and pick them up but during the day my rooster starts clicking if I pick him up and at night he’s perfectly quiet. It’s almost like they think I’m supposed to pick them up every night to put them to bed

 

[NatJ]

It’s almost like they think I’m supposed to pick them up every night to put them to bed

They might think exactly that!

You could try luring them in with munchies before dark, then shutting them in--that way they are already in the right place when they start to think about sleeping. It's more bother than just locking them in for a week, but probably equally effective.

What I’m getting at is that if they were just food then I might try locking them up but I don’t want to ruin our bond by doing that.

You won't ruin your bond with them by locking them in.
Just put them in one evening, as you have been doing--and do not let them out until it's been a week. They will not hate you, they will not be afraid of you, they will not remember you as the mean person. I don't think they understand that YOU are the cause of them being shut in.

(I'm not saying you must, just that you should not worry that it will ruin your bond with your chickens. It won't do that.)

 

[Deenok]

Update y’all. They all go in now and even perch by them selves. I added two windows and 2 days later and for the past week they go in by themselves. I’m excited. Thanks yall

 

[Deenok]

It’s 8 by 8 and it’s connected to the run so should smell the same. I built it we. Not a crack one other than the hardware cloth vents. The little 4 by 4 I had them in befor I built there nice coop they went in fine. I don’t get it. There run is 12 by 16 and hen house 8 by 8 and 6 ft tall. I think it’s big enough. Grrrr I don’t get it

 

[OreoH]

Maybe your run is so nice the chickens don't want to leave lol. Also, is the door a comfortable size?

 

[Deenok]

It’s 8 by 8 and it’s connected to the run so should smell the same. I built it we. Not a crack one other than the hardware cloth vents. The little 4 by 4 I had them in befor I built there nice coop they went in fine. I don’t get it. There run is 12 by 16 and hen house 8 by 8 and 6 ft tall. I think it’s big enough. Grrrr I don’t get it

Maybe your run is so nice the chickens don't want to leave lol. Also, is the door a comfortable size?

Would like to think so the one with my roo on the chair is how it’s set up now because I removed the board on the bottom to put the door on.

 

[Bear1978]

When you first moved them out there did you keep them confined in the coop for a few days with food and water?

 

[City Farmer Jim]

Have you kept them in the coop for 2-3 consecutive days/night to acclimate them to their home ? Sometimes chickens are just HARDHEADS and they will come around EVENTUALLY. We use a flashlight as chickens have very poor night vision and they follow the light on the rare occasion that they don't want to go in.

 

[rosemarythyme]

It sounds like you have plenty of ventilation however I'm not seeing it from the angles you've provided, unless that strip of hardware cloth on the left of the photos head-on is the big ventilation you're talking about?

Regardless I think you'd benefit from additional windows for both natural light and additional ventilation, especially with these hot summer months.

Chickens will not want to use a coop that's too dark to see in, or too stuffy.

Locking them in for a few days is an option to home them to a coop, however only do that if it's SAFE to do so as far as temperatures.