Chickens not going to bed if people are outside near dusk

[DonyaQuick]

After several months of having six well-trained chickens that put themselves to bed at night, I am having my first chickens-won't-go-in-at-night issue. And it feels so stupid: any human activity outside around dusk, whether by my husband or me, is making the chickens think they're going to get more attention...so they sit staring at the house like they do when they're expecting me to come out to them and then they get trapped there because it goes dark so fast. For the past week or so it had only been one or two stubbornly watching the house and I had to re-open the auto-door to put them back. Last night I had the not-so-brilliant idea to go out before the door shut (it closes 20min after dark), thinking it would be easier to put any stragglers back in. Instead, I set off a security light as I approached, which allowed everybody in the coop to see both the ramp and me through the open auto-door and...BOOM, chickens chaotically thundering out into the darkness because yay, human has come! And so I stood there with five chickens cooing and pulling at my pants leg wanting to be picked up while the sixth, Dimple, did her happy little Dimple dance in circles around my feet. Six hugs later they all went back in nicely and I got the door closed.

The coop is dry, I clean it daily, and there's zero evidence of any sort of pest/predator issue. All of my birds are healthy and happy. I guarantee if I crawled in there to sleep at night, they'd all pile in as fast as they could squeeze through the door since that's what they do when I'm leaning in the side door trying to clean. I think I've just created hug fiends.

My chickens were trained just fine with the auto-door before the days got short enough that either my husband or I often has to do something outside near dusk. It's really hard to avoid going out then; there's always something that needs doing. I already tried using a coop light on a timer to lure them in, which is what I used to train them originally - but they still wait for attention and that light doesn't help them see to jump down from the outdoor roosting bar once it's really dark. What does one do in this situation? Just go back to manually putting them to bed until the days are longer again? Add some more solar lights so it's not so inky dark in the run? Or will adding more lights just encourage them to stay outside more?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Is the run predator secure? Personally mine are, so I don't bother having doors to the coops. That way they just go in and out as they please. Sorry, don't really have any ideas, my birds would never be caught dead being messed with willingly

 

[Rangergord]

Just like children! Does another glass of water, bedtime snacks and a bedtime story really help? Tough love might be in order!

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Some of my hens exhibit the same behaviors you are describing. (Mostly the ISA Browns/red sexlinks) First of all, congratulations that they trust you and adore your company very much. I often feel the trusting hens see me as their giant protective "rooster." I've come to accept i only have three choices to deal with their adoration. 1) Wait inside/out of view until they finally go to roost for the night. 2) Bring scratch, corn or some other highly desired treat into the run/coop, where they are guaranteed to follow. (Hmmm, am I training them, or are they training me?) 3) Sit in a chair, enjoy their company, and wait and watch them finally begin to bump into the sides of the coop because yep, they have in fact stayed outside near me until there is not enough light left for them to see. Before the situation reaches this point, I am positive they plead with me to please come inside and sleep with them all night. (The hens often invite me to dust bathe with them too, but that is another story.)

Again, congratulations on the fact you have earned your chicken's adoration and desire to be in your company. If you find another solution other than my methods I have described above, I'm all ears!

 

[DonyaQuick]

Is the run predator secure? Personally mine are, so I don't bother having doors to the coops.

I'm pretty confident it's predator-proof, but it's not frostbite-proof. With the weather my area has been getting with wind coming from seemingly random directions I'd have to cover up all the sides. The auto-door being closed has also been necessary for keeping rain out at times when it practically comes in sideways. If it was in the summer I would have more options.

Some of my hens exhibit the same behaviors you are describing. (Mostly the ISA Browns/red sexlinks) First of all, congratulations that they trust you and adore your company very much. I often feel the trusting hens see me as their giant protective "rooster." I've come to accept i only have three choices to deal with their adoration. 1) Wait inside/out of view until they finally go to roost for the night. 2) Bring scratch, corn or some other highly desired treat into the run/coop, where they are guaranteed to follow. (Hmmm, am I training them, or are they training me?) 3) Sit in a chair, enjoy their company, and wait and watch them finally begin to bump into the sides of the coop because yep, they have in fact stayed outside near me until there is not enough light left for them to see. Before the situation reaches this point, I am positive they plead with me to please come inside and sleep with them all night. (The hens often invite me to dust bathe with them too, but that is another story.)

I did wonder if this was just the trade-off I got for both getting a friendly breed (buff orpingtons) and then raising them in my home office where they would periodically invade zoom calls and such.

I'm wondering about trying a fairly dim, solar walkway-type light that would illuminate the ramp into the coop during the night but not much else. I guess if it causes them all to stay out then I could just use it elsewhere on my property and continue to put them back in manually until the days are longer.

 

[LaFleche]

This sounds as if your girls might be lacking leadership, such as given by a rooster or older hen.

I have the same problem with this year's all pullets gang. They see me as their leader poviding feed, water/tea and other niceties and almost every night after dark I have to go out and pick up some 3-7! that missed the auto-door closing while craning their necks to watchme doing yard work or waiting for me to come back and lead them the way etc.

My other three tribes are all lead by roosters and don't have this problem at all.

 

[DonyaQuick]

This sounds as if your girls might be lacking leadership, such as given by a rooster or older hen.

My original plan was actually to look for a cockerel this coming spring or summer after seeing how my girls turned out (in case of gender surprises and when temperatures allow easier quarantine-to-outside transition). Dimple has kind of thrown a wrench in that plan though...it's like she heard my plans and went "no wait I got this" and has done her best to do rooster things even though she does lay eggs sometimes. Her little rooster routine and Dimple dance is so darned cute that I kind of don't want to mess it up now. But Dimple is tiny and clearly going to stay that way, so there are many times when she doesn't get taken seriously by the others even though she does a very good job of keeping her ladies from getting bothered when they're laying, showing them food, etc. If I do get a real rooster, I feel like it would have to be a bantam to not completely flatten Dimple...would a bantam roo have trouble taking charge of a bunch of bigger hens (same issue Dimple has)?

 

[Iluveggers]

I had to chuckle after reading your post. They LOVE you! I have no advice to give, but I do think it’s super cute. Enjoy your chickies!

 

[LaFleche]

If I do get a real rooster, I feel like it would have to be a bantam to not completely flatten Dimple...would a bantam roo have trouble taking charge of a bunch of bigger hens (same issue Dimple has)?

A bantam rooster works very well for standard size hens.
Actually, there are quite a lot of chicken keepers that prefer a bantam rooster for their standard size flock as they usually are not hard on the hens and live up to their resposibilities just fine.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

After several months of having six well-trained chickens that put themselves to bed at night,

My chickens were trained just fine with the auto-door before the days got short enough that either my husband or I often has to do something outside near dusk.

You clearly understand how to train an animal, chickens or otherwise. And that means you know that training means repetition to instill a habit. Your chickens WERE trained to put themselves to bed on their own. But now they have learned a new habit, which is to wait for you to tuck them in. Even though the days are now slowly growing longer, i suspect they will continue their current habit until you figure out how to retrain them again. Otherwise, i think you may find yourself putting them to bed at 9:30 pm when the sun finally sets during the long summer days.

I already tried using a coop light on a timer to lure them in, which is what I used to train them originally - but they still wait for attention and that light doesn't help them see to jump down from the outdoor roosting bar once it's really dark. What does one do in this situation? Just go back to manually putting them to bed until the days are longer again? Add some more solar lights so it's not so inky dark in the run? Or will adding more lights just encourage them to stay outside more?

As far as adding light inside their run and coop in hopes of enticing them inside, maybe try using a red bulb. (Not a heat bulb, just a red landscaping type bulb). Chickens don't perceive red light as Day light, even though they can still dimly see. I have a headlamp with a red bulb, and when I go into the coop after dark using the red bulb, the hens stay put. If I enter using white light, some never fail to hop off their roosts for an after-dark snack. (You could also replace your white security light bulb with a red bulb; doing so Should keep them on the roost when you go outside after dark). If your hens still refuse to go to roost as long as they see lights on inside your house, you may need to turn off lights, hang a dark curtain, etc until you are able to retrain them/instill a new habit again.