chickens wont go in coop

[white ninja]

i built my chickens a snazy 8x9 coop over the last 2 weeks and i finally finished saturday i put them in the first night to show em there new home and let them out the next morning and that evening they hovered around the old coop which my pullets call home now. so again put em in let em out 2 hens are figuring it out the rest arent, i figured it was dark in there which it is when they are ready to sleep so i hooked up a light tonight, hopefully they know tomorrow where home is with a guiding light!

Ive yet to build any roost its just floor and hay and a aluminium shelf in there to roost on until time allows more building, maybe there looking for a true roost like the old coop?! Anything to help this problem is much appreciated im tired of rodeo chicken mode......

 

[fatcatx]

I'm newer to chickens but I've read in books and many threads that they need to be kept in the coop/run area until they are consistently going in at night. Let them out after they've been "good" for at least a week. Do they have a run or are they free-ranging? If f.r., maybe could could bribe them in 30-60 minutes before they normally go in for a week or two. Also the lack of a roost may be putting them off.

 

[azygous]

You need to close them all inside the coop for at least two days and two nights. It takes a bit for them to imprint on the coop as home.

 

[white ninja]

mhm guys i just cant there free range chickens and 2 days locked up... i could pen around the coop??. last time they got a new home it took 2 days not goin on 4 so my next project is a roost to entice them then from there if that dont work this weekend ill leave em in for few more hours then usual