Chickens not roosting in the coop

[micstrachan]

Just thought of something else. Is there enough ventilation when the door is closed?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

My chickens will not roost in their coop.... they will gather in one corner of the run near the coop and sleep.... I've got 8 Black Australorps, 3 Buckeyes and 3 Speckled Sussex. Any suggestions?

You have 14 chickens and an unknown amount of square and linear feet of roosting space. We need more information about the coop and it's sleeping facilities. Besides many large breed chickens will never be comfortable roosting even if they are a foot off the floor.

 

[SuziQ18]

My chickens will not roost in their coop. Anytime. they will gather in one corner of the run near the coop and sleep. I feel like I've got sufficient space on the roosting bars. They will go into the coop during the day, but not at night. I've got 8 Black Australorps, 3 Buckeyes and 3 Speckled Sussex. Any suggestions?

Are your roosting bars the highest point in the coop?? Chickens will generally choose the highest area to roost as they feel higher is safer.

 

[SuziQ18]

I have pallets mounted inside my coop for them to roost on. See pic..The highest point in coop is directly above their nesting boxes.

 

[ScottKelly1974]

My birds did the same. They liked to sleep in one spot even if there was rain and snow. So I built the roost in the spot. With my new birds, hatched and raising them, I had to put them in the roost. After about a week, several would automaticly go to the roost. It has taken a few weeks, but almost all go to the roost. I still have one rooster who wants to sleep on top of the nest boxes in the open air and frost. It has taken several times putting him on the roost to get him to stay.

 

[MikkiMik]

My chickens will not roost in their coop. Anytime. they will gather in one corner of the run near the coop and sleep. I feel like I've got sufficient space on the roosting bars. They will go into the coop during the day, but not at night. I've got 8 Black Australorps, 3 Buckeyes and 3 Speckled Sussex. Any suggestions?

You need to train them. Feed them in the coop at dusk every night and lock them in. If you have to, pick up your grain in the afternoon. They need to be hungry. This will only take less then a week. Chickens are easy to train.
I only feed mine what they can eat in the morning when I let them out, and at night when I lock them in. This keeps the rats and birds away.

 

[WVduckchick]

I have some that insist on sleeping outside, open air coop. So I let them.
Yes, that's snow on the ground, in the background. I did add the tarp as a partial wind-break.


All of my other breeds go inside their coops, but for some reason, my seramas sleep outside.

 

[CoopersburgChick]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chickens-coming-home-to-roost.72488/

An article I wrote last year, just thought I'd throw that in there

Thank you for posting. Even with the 12 degree weather this is still an issue. More so from the weather. They are in a secure run up on a beam. Every night we still force them into the coop and shut the door. I’m hoping once we’ve hidden or blocked the beam they will return to the roosting bar in the coop. It’s clean and safe in there and nothing traumatizing has happened in there.
Thanks much.

 

[CoopersburgChick]

I have some that insist on sleeping outside, open air coop. So I let them.
Yes, that's snow on the ground, in the background. I did add the tarp as a partial wind-break.
View attachment 1209157

All of my other breeds go inside their coops, but for some reason, my seramas sleep outside.

No frost bite?

 

[CoopersburgChick]

Just thought of something else. Is there enough ventilation when the door is closed?

Yes. The normal vent the length of the coop