- Aug 19, 2013
- 42
- 1
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We built a coop for the chickens for winter and they will not go in it. I worry about them since it is getting very cold out (below 30).
All summer they have been using a dog run that we put two walls, a perch, and a roof on that they stay in at night (due to stray dog and coyote problem they cannot roam without us during the day) it protects them from the elements but also is very open since it gets up to 115F here and it worked very well. Well since it is icy and freezing we added a closed coop on the outside that they can get in and out of from the run area.
it has a nesting area and a roosting bar with plenty of space, but they will not use it. Did we do something wrong? How do we get them to use it?
Note:
we may have ruined our rooster on it since we had to close him up in it when the ice hit (like 3 inches with below freezing temps for 4+ days), I would have asked how to get him to want to use it, but the weather was a bit of a surprise for us and did not have time. The hen was injured by our dog when she got loose so she had to come in during that time to heal (she is back out there now) but now that she is back outside she isn't using it either. :/
thanks for any help
All summer they have been using a dog run that we put two walls, a perch, and a roof on that they stay in at night (due to stray dog and coyote problem they cannot roam without us during the day) it protects them from the elements but also is very open since it gets up to 115F here and it worked very well. Well since it is icy and freezing we added a closed coop on the outside that they can get in and out of from the run area.
it has a nesting area and a roosting bar with plenty of space, but they will not use it. Did we do something wrong? How do we get them to use it?
Note:
we may have ruined our rooster on it since we had to close him up in it when the ice hit (like 3 inches with below freezing temps for 4+ days), I would have asked how to get him to want to use it, but the weather was a bit of a surprise for us and did not have time. The hen was injured by our dog when she got loose so she had to come in during that time to heal (she is back out there now) but now that she is back outside she isn't using it either. :/
thanks for any help