Chickens won’t go out of coop

[St3v3n31922]

our chicken coop has 10 chickens and for the pass days they wouldn’t go out of the coop or there run, today i had some food treats for them and they went out from there coop but once they go outside one chicken makes a noise and they all run in and stay there for minutes frozen, our chicken coop is next to the woods and is it because a predator has been stalking them ? but if so how do i stop this from happening, the only times they go outside of the coop is the small chickens that don’t know how to climb into the coop and usually they need my help to get them out there but that’s the only time they would get out of the coop ! and it’s scaring me.

 

[tacothechicken]

Yes that sounds like the hens definitely see something you don't could you have a hawk/owl nest near by that's causing them to never want to leave do to constant pred presence? Did you lose a bird recently? Sometimes it traumatizes them and they won't act right for a bit.

 

[tacothechicken]

Also do you let them out to free range and if so at a specific time? Yotes foxes etc will take notice and hide so they can snatch a bird when they're let out of the enclosure. Even if they're in a run the birds could spot them and hide instinctively in the coop

 

[sourland]

It sounds as if they are aware of a predator in the area. There is a particular sound they make to warn of an aerial predator. Is there a cover on your pen ?

 

[SuperStephVette]

My chickens do this, even if they hear a crow, any sound they do not recognize they will go right back to their coop. Mine are still very young, and don't quite understand all the sounds of danger, and what not, so they believe everything danger to them, for the time being.

 

[tacothechicken]

@SuperStephVette lok I wish my youngsters did that! I feel like I have to throw a fit to make them take notice of any threat -_-

 

[St3v3n31922]

Also do you let them out to free range and if so at a specific time? Yotes foxes etc will take notice and hide so they can snatch a bird when they're let out of the enclosure. Even if they're in a run the birds could spot them and hide instinctively in the coop

we don’t let them free range because we had old chickens where a fox snatched them one by one so this is new chickens and new coop

 

[St3v3n31922]

It sounds as if they are aware of a predator in the area. There is a particular sound they make to warn of an aerial predator. Is there a cover on your pen ?

yes there is a cover for the pen

 

[St3v3n31922]

Yes that sounds like the hens definitely see something you don't could you have a hawk/owl nest near by that's causing them to never want to leave do to constant pred presence? Did you lose a bird recently? Sometimes it traumatizes them and they won't act right for a bit.

we haven’t lose a chicken recently

 

[St3v3n31922]

there’s more info they only go outside of there coop around 6 or 7 but they go out for 10 minutes they run back in and go up in there coop