chickens suddenly will NOT go in coop

[nursemeh]

this morning, when we went out to open coop door and let everyone out we found a 3 foot rat snake climbing up the outside of the coop. It curled up under the tin roof(in a space) and we had to poke and prod to get it out and chase it away.

afterwards, I sprayed some cedar oil around outside the coop to deter snakes.

tonight at dusk the chickens did NOT go into their run as usual(they were free ranging)

then, later when we went to shut their coop door, they were all hanging out at the bottom of their coop ladder- they would NOT go up their ladder into the coop!

we took flashlights and looked everywhere- no sign of snake or other predator.

we picked them up and placed them in the coop and took away ladder. they are all 3 sitting in the dor of the coop at this very moment- they will NOT go in to their roosts and go to bed.

WHAT IS GOING ON?????

can they still smell the snake's musk from this am and are they scared? are they scared of the fireworks noises around the area??

should we shove them in and shut the coop door???

help please!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Dirt Road]

Have you checked for mites? In the heat of summer the danged things can multiply at an astounding rate.
Any way a rat might be getting in at night? They usually won't attack a grown chicken, but they will spook them.
Just a couple of ideas.

Jim

 

[Hazelnut]

could it be the cedar oil?

 

[lleighmay]

I'm with Hazelnut- I was thinking it might be the cedar oil too. I've got black snakes all over the place here and, other than being temporarily alarmed when they spy one, the chickens don't seem to avoid a location where one was before. I don't think their memory works that way.

 

[birdbrain2]

from what i remember reading on this forum cedar oi is lethal or toxic to chickens, i would get it off right away.

 

[nursemeh]

thanks for the replies. so many great ideas and ways to troubleshoot- thanks again!

FYI:
We brought the chickens inside last night, I just couldn't sleep with them out there.

anyway, the cedar oil was never spayed inside the coop- only around the outside areas and not around their run area where they hang out.

we still just dont know what spooked them last night. I am changing out some bedding and adding DE and hopefully if there are mites(I cant see any) that will take care of that.

tonight I am hoping they are good girls and just walk up their ramp like usual.

 

[nursemeh]

just an update:
after free ranging all afternoon, they refused to even go near their run tonight at dusk, and they were frantic at the thought of entering the coop. I finally shoved each hen inside the door, they were protesting and it was awful. This has got me so upset, my chickens are obviously scared and their coop is somehow considered an unsafe place(to them). I am just concerned about how to best deal with this.

I now believe this to be a "predator" issue and not so much "chicken behavior" so I will continue this topic in the predator and pest area under "snake questions"

thanks for the replies.

mary

 

[Kurczak]

Our chickens never had a problem with going into their coop at night and suddenly today we had to literally put them in, they are very reluctant. I see in this thread a snake problem. It's late autumn in ME, temperatures dropping almost to freezing, does anyone know what can be the problem?