chickens won't go in coop with others at night

[m2wandc]

I finally have both silkies intergrated in with the other non-silkie chickens...but at night the silkies won't go in the coop with the other chickens...instead they huddle up in a corner of the run on the ground.....any ideas why?

and any ideas on how to teach them to go in? Having to find two black balls of fluff at night in the dark is not always easy...

 

[hikerchick]

My chickens hang out in distinct groups. The batches that were brooded together stay together and they don't mix at bedtime. They all roost in different places. I think it would be like sharing a hotel room with strangers, for them. They don't fight or anything, but they don't have anything to do with each other either.

 

[m2wandc]

that's exactly what appears to be the case here...but they HAVE TO go in at night...how can we get them to go INTO the coop at night??? (other then physically picking them up and putting them in there? )

 

[jvls1942]

do you have a light on in the coop?

leave a light on until the chickens are in..

do not carry the laggers, make them walk. and chase them in when it is darker outside than in the coop.. after a couple of times they will go in by themselves..

 

[DUccleDude]

Is it possible that the silkies cant see very well thus not finding the coop?

 

[m2wandc]

here is a picture of the run/coop...they are in the run all day and as it turns to evening the big girls go in the coop (there is a ladder board up to the door now) and they come OUT of the coop in the AM, down the ramp...so I'm guessing they know where it is??? But maybe not? ???

It's pretty dark out there when we go to close the door on the coop...so chasing chickens in the dark when we can't see might be dangerous for them (we might step on them?, they are pretty little, literally about the size of my hubby's foot)

We live in the country so it's DARK outside and inside the coop (no light and no way of putting a light out there that I can think of?)

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Do they ever go up the ramp and into the coop on their own during the day?

You could get one of those 'Touch On' battery closet lights and stick that in there OR go out sooner at dusk and shooo them up the ramp into the coop OR put them in the coop with a little snack every night till they go in on their own.

 

[m2wandc]

so silkies do go in at night...I was starting to worry that it was some funky silkie issue...

I haven't ever seen them go up the ramp...I've tried to coax them with meal worms, but they seem clueless that the worm is there, unless I set it on the ground...

I will try chasing them tonight, but they seem to just huncker down and freeze when I walk anywhere near them...we'll see what happens tonight...