Chickens not going in the coop

[Porpie Pie]

Just curious...i hatched some chicks this summer theyre about 4 months old by now. Ive also got some more ducks too. Theyve been in the same coop with my original flock since they were old enough to be out of the brooder and they follow them in and out of the run. But they dont ever go in the coop at night. They walk through the coop they just wont stay in at night. Being summer i figured...meh...its summer theyre happy roosting in the middle of the run and the ducks have a dogloo house they usually go in. But even on rainy nights when i put them in they never go in the coop they roost in the middle of the run. Then i though maybe its too crowded? So we added another coop about 2 weeks ago. It rained last night and no one went to the coop. Ive tried putting them inside the coop on the roost and they just run out. (Although i figure they ran out looking for their friends in their 'clique') when i first started my flock id always read they dont like to be wet if they get wet theyll get sick!!! Yet here they are sitting out in the rain. I figure chickens are going to do what they want. If they dont mind being wet fine and if they want to go in the coop fine. Some of them though sit in the doorway of the original coop like they want in but dont actually go in. Im hoping their common sense kicks in and they go into the coop in the winter

 

[sourland]

Have you tried putting them in the coop in the evening and locking the coop?

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Please tell us about their coop and run, and post photos of both if you can. We need to understand the setup.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

And that's the reason the word "birdbrain" came to be. Realize that chickens' natural environment is in the jungle, roosting in the trees - not in a wooden box. So they'll need to be trained to go into a coop at night. Normally, a mother hen will teach her chicks where to sleep at night. That's YOU. They are birdbrains. They don't realize that sleeping outside in the rain when there's a convenient dry and safe place nearby isn't very smart nor safe. You'll probably need to put them into the coop yourself and lock them inside for several days in a row, until they get the idea.

 

[Porpie Pie]

Have you tried putting them in the coop in the evening and locking the coop?

No but it was a thought. theres 11 chickens and 4 ducks i figure it would just be a lot of me running around and them running back out. 11 is the 'new flock' ive got 9 in my original flock and 6 babies still with mom. Ive also got 1 that was hatched by my hen and even he wont go in the coop. Once mom left him and he became independent he never slept in the coop again
I did move the food to the new coop so i know they go in they just dont sleep in it

 

[3KillerBs]

Often when chickens won't sleep in the coop there is one or more of these issues in play:

The coop is too small,
The coop is too dark,
The coop is too hot and stuffy,
The roosts don't allow youngsters to have a separate space from the adults,
Birds higher in the pecking order aren't allowing the low-status birds to roost,
The chosen roost outside is higher than the roost in the coop.

If you put them in after it's quite dark (use a headlamp with a red bulb), they tend to stay where they're put and not run back out.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Please tell us about their coop and run, and post photos of both if you can. We need to understand the setup.

I totally agree with this. It really helps if we know what you are working with. Both coops, all runs, and how many chickens total, along with ages so we know how many of each you are working with.

id always read they dont like to be wet if they get wet theyll get sick!!!

You can read all kinds of stuff. Chickens evolved to live outside. They can find shelter if they want to but a little rain won't hurt them as long as they are feathered out. What this sounds like to me is that someone is thinking "I'd be miserable if I were the one in the rain so the chickens must be miserable." Chickens are not humans and if they decide to stay out in the rain when they have options they are not miserable. They are where they want to be.

Ive tried putting them inside the coop on the roost and they just run out.

My goal is not to get them to sleep on the roost, my goal is to get them to sleep inside. The reason I want mine to sleep inside is not weather related, it is for predator protection. When I train mine to sleep in the coop, I don't bother putting them on the roost, I toss them in onto the coop floor and lock the door so they can't come out until I let them out in the morning. They will work out where they want to sleep once they are trained to go in the coop when it gets dark.

If your run is dark enough at night, wait until they go to bed and use very little light to catch them and lock them inside. Sometimes when I do this they catch on pretty quickly, I've had some take three weeks before the last ones finally learned to go in on their own at dark. Just be consistent, they will learn.

 

[Porpie Pie]

I totally agree with this. It really helps if we know what you are working with. Both coops, all runs, and how many chickens total, along with ages so we know how many of each you are working with.


You can read all kinds of stuff. Chickens evolved to live outside. They can find shelter if they want to but a little rain won't hurt them as long as they are feathered out. What this sounds like to me is that someone is thinking "I'd be miserable if I were the one in the rain so the chickens must be miserable." Chickens are not humans and if they decide to stay out in the rain when they have options they are not miserable. They are where they want to be.


My goal is not to get them to sleep on the roost, my goal is to get them to sleep inside. The reason I want mine to sleep inside is not weather related, it is for predator protection. When I train mine to sleep in the coop, I don't bother putting them on the roost, I toss them in onto the coop floor and lock the door so they can't come out until I let them out in the morning. They will work out where they want to sleep once they are trained to go in the coop when it gets dark.

If your run is dark enough at night, wait until they go to bed and use very little light to catch them and lock them inside. Sometimes when I do this they catch on pretty quickly, I've had some take three weeks before the last ones finally learned to go in on their own at dark. Just be consistent, they will learn.

Im more curious about it than worried at this point. The coop we added is made out of exterior doors. Ill try and remember to take a picture tomorrow