Chickens won't go in coop or come out

[EastCoastBairdo]

Hi All! I have a coop with a fully enclosed run. My chicks are about 12 weeks old and have been going in and out of the coop for the past 4-5 weeks. I open the coop door in the morning and they go out then i shut the coop door around 830pm. They have never had a problem coming out or putting themselves to bed. Last night by 9pm 5 out of 6 were not in the coop and i had to put them in. Then this morning they would not come out either. I slowly enticed them out with some food then shut the coop door so they couldnt go back in. Any ideas as to what is going on? I know there are predators out there which is why the coop and run are fully enclosed but i haven't seen any during the day and i make sure to shut the coop door every night for extra security.

 

[azygous]

It may not be a real predator, but mice or rats. Something has the chicks upset and not trusting. If they see mice or rats running around inside the coop at night, that's enough to make them hesitant to go inside at night. Same thing in the run.

Recently, my local game warden, whom I've known for going on thirty years, confided in me that mice scare him so much that he makes his wife deal with them when they need to set traps out. If this burly guy, who stares down poachers who would just as soon shoot him, is scared of mice, you can imagine how chicks would feel about them running all over their coop and run.

 

[3KillerBs]

I'm only on my third batch of chicks so my experience is not extensive, but I find that there is a weird, teenage, won't-go-to-bed stage.