Chickens stopped going in coop…

[PoppasGrill]

For some reason our leghorns stopped going in their normal coop at night. They are roughly 2 years old and have been in the same coop the whole time. About 2 weeks ago we went to shut the coops up and there were 4 of the 7 on top of a store bought coop we use for chicks, no chicks in it at the time, we carried them back to the original coop that night. Since then it has been every night. There are other chickens still using that coop, we cleaned it out and checked to make sure there were no mice or other odd critters in there, but they still refuse to go in there at night.
Our tween pullets , 4 months, are still trying to roost in their old chick coop, but that’s because we left them in there too long, and took too long to finish their wing of the hillybilly condo coop.

 

[sourland]

Some reasons birds stop roosting in the coop include: aggression from other birds, red mite infestation, too hot/too little ventilation, presence of a predator. Hope that you can resolve this.

 

[PoppasGrill]

Some reasons birds stop roosting in the coop include: aggression from other birds, red mite infestation, too hot/too little ventilation, presence of a predator. Hope that you can resolve this.

I can understand the aggression part, though not for 4 birds at the same time. Coop is an old dog kennel, so plenty of ventilation , and they’ve been in there 2 years.
There are 5 hens and 2 roosters in the coop still, that have been in there the whole time .
Not sure about mites, will check them , and the birds still in the coop.
Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[sourland]

Are the male birds cockerels or roosters that have been with the flock? Cockerels frequently are bad at harassing hens/pullets.

 

[PoppasGrill]

Are the male birds cockerels or roosters that have been with the flock? Cockerels frequently are bad at harassing hens/pullets.

There are 2 roosters 1.5-2 years in this coop, they have been in there this whole time.

 

[PoppasGrill]

Another strange update..
More chickens are abandoning their coop, we now have 15 hens that refused to go in their coops. Different coops, different breeds, different ages.
Tried carrying a few to their normal coop and they turned right around, in the dark, and ran back to the barn.
We’ve inspected for bugs/ mites, and there are still hens in the coops, so don’t thing it’s predators, and we haven’t seen any tracks or signs of anything trying to get into any of the coops.
The chicks 4 months, are using the lowest roosting bar, about 2 ft off the ground, so don’t think it’s a danger issue.

 

[whatthechickens]

Perhaps add some photos of where they are and aren't roosting.
If nothing is amiss then make the new location inaccessible.
One or two leaders may have decided to switch the whole flock followed and it can be a bit of effort to revert unfortunately.

 

[PoppasGrill]

Update;
We now have 30+ chicken roosting in the barn.
They have abandoned 2 coops and half from another coop are now going into the barn.
We’ve tried carrying them back to their respective coops at night, but as soon as we open the coops back up they go into the barn and roost on the shelves.
We are going to take this weekend to go through the abandoned coops thoroughly, and make any repairs. By Sunday we will get them back in there and lock them in again for a few days.

 

[StinkyAcres]

How big are the coops? Is the barn bigger and taller?

 

[Chicken Heel]

Sounds like some type of Alpha predator is stirring about that has them on edge. Or a red mite infestation can cause strange behaviors. And I am speaking from experience regarding the latter as I have had a hell of a time dealing with them over the winter, maybe due to the above average rainfall we have had in Southside VA since mid-December. This after not dealing with mites of any type in decades...