Chickens that don't like the coop?

[Ladyblackswan]

Hi everyone. I'm Jen and I have just started raising a little backyard flock of chickens. I have 1 bantam rooster and a pair of easter egger hens currently outside. I also have a "delayed" mottled cochin bantam in the house along with a three week old barred rock pullet. My three that are outside refuse to go in to their house at night, although they go down during the day and drink water and eat chicken feed. At night, they come up on to the front porch and roost next to my bird feeder. Every night I go out there with a laundry basket covered with a blanket and collect them, put them in the coop and shut them in for the night. How can I get them to realize they need to go in to the coop at night? I also would like them to lay eggs in the nesting boxes...they are about 10 weeks old right now. Any ideas?
Thank you!

 

[1muttsfan]

Shut them in the coop for 3-4 days until they get used to sleeping there.

 

[Den in Penn]

x2

 

[ImpulsiveFarmer]

The first coop my husband built my chickens refused to sleep in it. They would go in to lay their eggs and eat, but they slept on top of the dog house we had placed in their run. We built them a bigger coop with more perches the next year and they used it right off. Apparently their old coop was too small for their liking. I tried closing them in the coop, but as soon as I started leaving the door open again they were back to perching on the dog house.

If they still refused to go into the coop after closing them in for a few days you might need a bigger coop or more perches in the coop.