Chickens won't go into coop at night

[Ginnie1973]

I got my baby chickens in April an I have them in a coop at night but during the day I let them out to roam. Just recently the chickens have decided not to go into the coop at night and instead jump into a shrub tree to sleep. It has become a battle to get them in and locked up so they are safe.

Any ideas why this is happening??? There coop is clean and there water and food is in there.

Thanks for the help

 

[Mrs Howey]

I know that in the wild chickens roost in trees/shrubs at night, it's where they feel safe. Maybe try positive reinforcement with treats to get them going into the coop to roost again. I'm not sure what else to do if positive reinforcement doesn't work.

 

[peterlund]

The reason is they like it better outside. My suspected issue might be not enough ventilation in your coop. Maybe cutting in a large window protected by hardware cloth mught help... try to rectify soon... the more they get used to roosting for the night outdoors, the harder the habit will be to break....

 

[peterlund]

Just for full disclosure, my chickens stay in their runs at night... secre and protected, but they don't sleep in their coops.... they will be there outside in all weather and temperatures. .. their coops are wonderful. They just prefer being chickens i guess.....

 

[pjstar]

In addition to the recommendations and comments above, i.e. Ventilation etc, around 3-4pm, try enticing them to come into coop area with scratch and treats you know they like. Then once they are in, close the door in they are in for the night. They will get used to coming in at the same time every day to look for treats. If you do this for several weeks, you may find it has become a habit. They will feel safer and you won't lose as many to predators

 

[aart]

I got my baby chickens in April an I have them in a coop at night but during the day I let them out to roam. Just recently the chickens have decided not to go into the coop at night and instead jump into a shrub tree to sleep. It has become a battle to get them in and locked up so they are safe.

Any ideas why this is happening??? There coop is clean and there water and food is in there.

Thanks for the help

Welcome to BYC @Ginnie1973 !
How many chicks do you have and how old are they?
Do they eat and drink in the coop during the day?
Do you also have a run for daytime confinement?
Posting some pics of your coop would help folks suggest ways to solve this problem.
Also knowing what your climate is(by putting your location in your profile) might offer some clues to the issue.

 

[JesterLady]

Just for full disclosure, my chickens stay in their runs at night... secre and protected, but they don't sleep in their coops.... they will be there outside in all weather and temperatures. .. their coops are wonderful. They just prefer being chickens i guess.....

I have a similar problem. I basically have two flocks, 6 Colombian Rock pullets, and 3 Australorp cockerels, 2 Australorp pullets, and 3 gold laced wyandottes. They're all in the same run and all the pullets kind of venture in and out of the hen house during the day. However, at night only the Rock pullets sleep in the henhouse. The Rock pullets are a month older than the rest of them, 4 months to the others 3, so I'm thinking they are probably just being bossy. But, when they get nearer to laying I'm going to have to fix this issue.

 

[Scott E.]

Did you "home" them in the coop for several days before releasing them into the run? Then they look at the coop as their familiar safe space and will return at night.

 

[Mouthpear]

I got my baby chickens in April an I have them in a coop at night but during the day I let them out to roam. Just recently the chickens have decided not to go into the coop at night and instead jump into a shrub tree to sleep. It has become a battle to get them in and locked up so they are safe.

Any ideas why this is happening??? There coop is clean and there water and food is in there.

Thanks for the help

I have a suggestion for you. Chickens do not see very well at night and will go where they can see better. So my suggestion is for you to put a light in your coop with a timer or you can do this manually. Turn the light on shortly before dusk and turn it off about an hour after. They will flock to it like a light house.

Side note. Adding a Solar powered light with timer can also help in egg production. The more daylight or waking hours they have the more eggs they produce. Setting the time to turn on an hour or two before dawn will increase their waking hours. Just don't go above two hours. They need their rest too. If you solely do this in winter to keep the waking hours the same as summer that is a good idea.

 

[3riverschick]

Excellent advice. I used a solar powered light that mounted to the outside of the coop and shone in the window. Paid about twenty dollars for it at Lowes. Made by Portofino. As it got dark the light came on. the chickens could see the light through the door and came inside. Viola!
Best,
Karen