chickens used to return to henhouse...now won't

[Tacampbell1973]

Hello Jsmith, I just caught up with your post and I was wondering if you had tried blueberries and good old mealworms. Every bird we have loves "ickyworms" (mealworms). That includes all six banties and the two Guinea Hens. My dorky dog wanted to try them too but didn't.

 

[jsmith2952]

@tacampbell, thanks for the advice. I thought I had tried "everything", and the chickens weren't interested. Was waiting on introducing mealworms as I figured I'd rather use what I have on hand than get something special. However, after putting up this post, I discovered that their tastebuds apparently have matured! I threw them some zucchini, which they went nuts over, and for the past two nights, they have happily followed me back to the coop as I dangled a heel of bread in my hand. Who knew?! I'm going to have to cave and get those mealworms one of these days! Now to get them to go to the coop on their own...

 

[theoldchick]

As tiny as those chicken brains are sometimes we can't figure out what is going on in that pea-sized organ. When chicken decide they no longer like the coop you have to figure out why. Is the roost too low.?Is the place to small allow for the natural pecking order to take place? Too hot and stuffy? Is there a predator bothering them? Could be something as simple as a wasp nest, trolling cat or as serious as raccoon, opossum, or nosy dog disrupting the girls from their rest.

Once chickens decide to roost elsewhere, you have to either make the new place disagreeable to them, remove it, or keep the flock away from the area. The decision is yours. Some people are ok with losing a few here or there to predators while some folks want to keep their hens away from harm.

My flock stays secured due to the number of predators I have, and if I do let them out it is near dusk so they don't wander far and I have to watch over them. I have hawks, owls, foxes, raccoons, opossums and a horse who thinks chickens make great targets for his hooves.

So the girls stay in the run and I bring nature to them. I bring various plants, and occasionally supplement their diet with meats and other strange items to give them variety and to give me funny photos to share with this group.

My advice is if you can't tolerate losing them, then get building. Make the chicken area as chicken friendly as possible and as predator proof as possible. Give them as much room as you can afford as you may eventually add to your flock.

Good luck and keep those girls safe!

 

[Tacampbell1973]

As tiny as those chicken brains are sometimes we can't figure out what is going on in that pea-sized organ.  When chicken decide they no longer like the coop you have to figure out why.  Is the roost too low.?Is the place to small allow for the natural pecking order to take place?  Too hot and stuffy? Is there a predator bothering them? Could be something as simple as a wasp nest, trolling cat or as serious as raccoon, opossum, or nosy dog disrupting the girls from their rest.

Once chickens decide to roost elsewhere, you have to either make the new place disagreeable to them, remove it, or keep the flock away from the area.  The decision is yours.  Some people are ok with losing a few here or there to predators while some folks want to keep their hens away from harm.

My flock stays secured due to the number of predators I have, and if I do let them out it is near dusk so they don't wander far and I have to watch over them.  I have hawks, owls, foxes, raccoons, opossums and a horse who thinks chickens make great targets for his hooves.  

So the girls stay in the run and I bring nature to them.  I bring various plants, and  occasionally supplement their diet with meats and other strange items to give them variety and to give me funny photos to share with this group.

My advice is if you can't tolerate losing them, then get building.  Make the chicken area as chicken friendly as possible and as predator proof as possible.  Give them as much room as you can afford as you may eventually add to  your flock.

Good luck and keep those girls safe!Hello, um, Oldchick? I have to get a coop soon,. my husband threw one together for them and while I appreciate the effort, its becoming apparent the kids didn't. I yesterday put the first of the free range hens in with them and this is the first night they stayed all in one place. The "coop" resembles an old fashioned outhouse, it just needs a door with a crescent moon on front and it would be complete, as an outhouse As soon as i can afford it , i found some cheaper coops prefab on ebay that are in my price range so i will use the "outhouse/coop as a brooder i think. The hen likes it and is sleeping on the sawdust floor but I need to throw a perch in it. There is a nest box that the other hen used to perch on the side of at night before she reverted to the trees outside with her sister. No way no how am i ever going to be able to get through losing even one of my beloved birds. I know it will eventually happen but I would sleep outside on a chair with a shotgun before a predator would get them. We too have every predator known to the woods. Working hard to keep them safe. Their run is fenced in and covered on top with netting both to keep the kids in and hawks and neighbor tomcat out. Heres hoping, I am stiill a newbie

 

[nab58]

Getting them to follow you is easier than trying to make them move where you want them too (believe me, I've tried and ended up running around like a chicken with my head cut off (pun intended)).
I lure mine with a handful of scratch. they have learned that when I open the scratch bag they come running. I toss tiny amounts in their run until they all catch on and pile in. They don't all get it right away and there's always at least one who can't find the door to the run (pea sized brain at work) so I throw just a little at a time to keep the ones in the run occupied and the ones not yet in interested.
I've tried chasing the straggler to get her in the run but we just chase each other round and round and then the ones in the run come out because they've run out of scratch....must look like a Benny Hill comedy sketch..... Just needs some music.

 

[Tacampbell1973]

Getting them to follow you is easier than trying to make them move where you want them too (believe me, I've tried and ended up running around like a chicken with my head cut off (pun intended)).
I lure mine with a handful of scratch. they have learned that when I open the scratch bag they come running. I toss tiny amounts in their run until they all catch on and pile in. They don't all get it right away and there's always at least one who can't find the door to the run (pea sized brain at work) so I throw just a little at a time to keep the ones in the run occupied and the ones not yet in interested.
I've tried chasing the straggler to get her in the run but we just chase each other round and round and then the ones in the run come out because they've run out of scratch....must look like a Benny Hill comedy sketch..... Just needs some music.

I promise you I have done the EXACT same thing with the Exact same result. Some times I feel like we are pplaying red rover or something. Hopefully we will all get on the same page again.

 

[Amybg]

I am having a similar problem. My 6 hens always came running for the handful of scratch and a clicker. Then we lost 3 hens to a fox. We added 2 young pullets 12 weeks old. Suddenly 3 days later they are refusing to return to the coop (we have not let the young birds out yet). It takes 2 of us to catch them and return them. We do this well before dusk, so it is not a nighttime roosting concern. They still roost in the hen house at night. Could the 2 young birds be that disturbing to the flock? Or have they just decided that insects are way tastier than scratch?

 

[StellasChick]

I am still very new to this as my girls are only 19 weeks. However, because my coop and run are not joined together and are in fact, across the yard from one another, everyday, my birds "commute to work". I've found, they are pretty good with routine/habit. I open the coop door in the morning and they run/fly straight to the run, so that's easy. In the evening, they know the drill but we've had to try a couple different methods. My wife likes to lead them with treats back to the coop (which I know helped plant the idea in their heads). I tend to use the herding method, walking behind them with a stick. I hold the stick out in one hand (changing it back and forth as needed) and it keeps them grouped and prevents them from going wide or circling behind me. A kid or two can help, walking slowly with arms outstretched as well. I rarely have any trouble guiding them back, even if I'm alone. I don't have any advice for getting them to do this on their own though!