Chicken won’t go in hen house at night

[Jan Croot]

Turn on a light or even shine a flash light.

During the day they can see if there are predators inside before they enter.

At night it's just a black hole that they can't vet before entering.

 

[oldhen2345]

My flock on average are 70 days old. There are 12 of them and at night they huddle out side the hen house and I have to pick each one up every night to put to bed about 9pm. They aren’t afraid of the house. It’s completely predator proof and they go in and out all day long. They are getting heavy and I don’t know how to get them to go in by themselves.

My littles do the same thing. I have big hens and the littles do not want to go into the big girl coop- I have a separate baby barn for them. Every night, they park outside the baby barn and I have to put them to bed. One night, like magic, they just put themselves in the big girl coop. Give it time, and they will go inside, I think

 

[Daddyer68]

My flock on average are 70 days old. There are 12 of them and at night they huddle out side the hen house and I have to pick each one up every night to put to bed about 9pm. They aren’t afraid of the house. It’s completely predator proof and they go in and out all day long. They are getting heavy and I don’t know how to get them to go in by themselves.

Put a light inside the coop turn it on around sunset the chickens should go in as it gets dark outside. It worked for me. Good Luck.

 

[One Lucky Momma]

Oh, how I wish I’d spent as much time on this forum BC (before chicks) as I have AC.

In an effort to build a secure coop we didn‘t allow for enough light. Our coop is inside the barn, so while ventilation at the roof allows for plenty of air it does nothing for light. Following suggestions made here, I got a couple of small party light strings which I turn on inside the coop a while before dusk when I feed them outside in the run. (No electricity in the barn and too far to run an extension but battery powered lights have been just fine.) Some of the birds were quicker than others to catch on, but within just a few days everyone had it figured out.

As effective as this has been for now, with batteries it’s not a sustainable solution. We’ll eventually have to do something different, like cut another window, as the birds can’t see to get up on the roosts without the supplemental lighting. Based on your photos, you may have the same problem.

Good luck!

 

[ReliezFarm]

I see a few things I'll just mention, but experimentation is always the solution.
That is a mighty nice big perch you gave them out in the run, I can see why they want to stay outside. Also, I found my chickens don't like hay, but prefer pine chips. I also ONLY use the chips in their nesting boxes. The inside of the coop has a tray that I line with paper only. There are two nice perching rods inside my coop next to the nesting boxes. depends on how they are feeling if they sleep on the roost or in a box.
I don't have much venting in my coop. if they are broody and in there all day when it's hot, I will prop the lid open to get circulation, otherwise just the door from the ramp gives them air.
I think they much prefer the nice green grass you have. Grass wouldn't last very long with my birds, they would mow it down to dirt in a week. I use a mixture of sand/dirt and bark in the base and turn it over now and then with fresh sand. a bit of water to help it decompose is also good now and then.
I can't see all the wood you used, but is any of it treated? I see what looks like OSB as well as plywood. OSB is full of lots of glue and chemicals that really stink. Exterior Plywood is what should be used, then primed/painted to make it last more than a year. The only exception to treated is the piece of wood that contacts the dirt around the edge. If that's not treated, it will rot very quickly in most environments. My store bought coop was not designed to last more than a year, so I built a treated frame around the bottom and added extended wheels, so I can pick it up and move it like a wheelbarrow! that's been sooooo handy, believe me. good luck!

 

[ReliezFarm]

Oh, how I wish I’d spent as much time on this forum BC (before chicks) as I have AC.

In an effort to build a secure coop we didn‘t allow for enough light. Our coop is inside the barn, so while ventilation at the roof allows for plenty of air it does nothing for light. Following suggestions made here, I got a couple of small party light strings which I turn on inside the coop a while before dusk when I feed them outside in the run. (No electricity in the barn and too far to run an extension but battery powered lights have been just fine.) Some of the birds were quicker than others to catch on, but within just a few days everyone had it figured out.

As effective as this has been for now, with batteries it’s not a sustainable solution. We’ll eventually have to do something different, like cut another window, as the birds can’t see to get up on the roosts without the supplemental lighting. Based on your photos, you may have the same problem.

Good luck!

how about adding a small solar panel to keep the batteries charged? I've even seen strings of LED lights that come complete with battery and panel at Costco.

 

[JanBarnett]

Does the house smell different from the run or does it have pests? Maybe the are reluctant to go in because the house is too small or uncomfortable.

Good point about the parasites! Go out to your coop when it is pitch black at night, open the lid to the nesting boxes and shine a bright flashlight on the wood and corners, looking for tiny little red bugs scattering. I forget the name of them, but they could be coming out at night to pick on your chicks, making them avoid the coop. If no parasites are on your birds, I would suggest confining them solely to the coop for a few days. Maybe you gave them too much independence at first so that the coop Is not really “home base” for them. Good luck!

 

[Flockincrazy]

Is there roosts inside the coop they seem to like to roost on stuff outside and if there is is there ventilation next to the roosts I ended up moving roosts cause there wasn't enough ventilation near them and my flock wouldn't use them now they use them all the time

 

[Mayree]

Do you have a place for them to roost?

 

[Simimaus]

My flock on average are 70 days old. There are 12 of them and at night they huddle out side the hen house and I have to pick each one up every night to put to bed about 9pm. They aren’t afraid of the house. It’s completely predator proof and they go in and out all day long. They are getting heavy and I don’t know how to get them to go in by themselves.

I throw a couple handfuls oats on the floor in the coop. They come in to eat their night night treat and I can lock them up