Chickens keep sleeping outside.

[pfost262]

I have been raising three hens and a few months ago put them in the run with the 3 older hens I have. They were separated and the newer ones lived outside in a makeshift area not a real coop. Now that they are all together the newer ones won't go in the coop with the older hens. Now the newer ones a beginning to lay and I'm finding eggs outside. What should I do?

 

[ChickensRDinos]

Did they sleep in the coop and then stop or have they never really slept in the coop?

My guess is that because they got into the routine of sleeping out in the run they are just continuing to do that because chicken brains love routine. If you have the space to do so I would shut everyone in the coop for at least three days so they have to sleep there. Once it is their new routine they should do it every night.

Double check that they have enough space. Sometimes when you integrate new birds if the roost space is tight then bully on the roosts can be bad with no escape.

 

[happyhens1972]

If you are not keen on the 'shutting in' idea above (which is a good one and should work well) then try roosting them....whenever I introduce new birds to a new coop/house, I always place them on the perch inside the coop each night if they have not done so themselves. It doesn't usually take more than two or three nights of me perching them and therefore two or three mornings of them awakening on the perch, for them to start doing it themselves.

 

[pfost262]

I want to try the shutting in idea only because it isn't easy for me to place my hens in their perches. The guy who built this coop didn't make it so accessible for me to reach the perch. However, my hens run from me when I go to catch them so that isn't easy and also they are still tormented here and there by the new ones. Would it be safe to have the new and old together locked up or do I leave the olds ones outside for a few nights?

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I think you just have to assess the situation and weigh the pros and cons. How bad is the violence? Normal pecking order scuffle or worse? How much space will they have if shut in? How much space do they have on the roost? I would make sure that when you shut them in the little birds still have a place to escape the order birds if you are going to shut them in.