chicks won't go into coop at night

[EggMeOn255]

I have 6 remaining chicks about 12 weeks old. Their mama left them to their own devices about a week ago. They had all been going into the coop with the mother for several weeks and crowding into the nesting box with her. Three days ago I found one of the chicks up against the door to the run in the morning, one (or more) of the other chickens had killed her. it was obvious she had been chased out of the coop and around the run before they cornered her. Since then the chicks will not even go into the run at night. I have had to hunt them down-some are simply roosting on top of the coop, some I have found roosting in trees. I have been returning them to the run and partitioning off that half so that if I'm not out at first light, the other chickens can't get to them. How do I train them to return to the coop at night? And is there any way to protect them from the larger chickens? The original group consists of 5 hens and a rooster. I'm fairly certain the one that was killed was a hen and of the 6 remaining, I can't be sure, but there may be a rooster among them. During the day when they are free-ranging, the groups stay separate but in close proximity to one another and there have been no problems. The brutality of the chicken kingdom hurts my heart. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

How big is your coop?

 

[azygous]

This is a tough problem. I agree. Chickens can be brutal. I just had a three-day old chick killed, the only chick to hatch from five eggs a broody had incubated. It's both disturbing and disappointing.

So, where to go from here? You've already hit on the basic tactic to keep the youngsters safe - separate them from the flock while they finish growing and maturing. However, the chicks need to be in close proximity to the flock for two important reasons.

One is to keep them safe while they observe the senior members of the flock and learn their individual temperaments, but the older chickens need to get used to them being part of the flock. The other is that chicks have a natural fear and respect for older chickens and are naturally intimidated by them. They need time to grow and mature and to develop self confidence without constantly living in fear of being attacked.

They've been badly traumatized by the brutality of the older chickens and the death of their mate. I saw how deeply affected chicks can be by the death of one a few years ago when one died suddenly in the coop they were all sharing together. They refused to go into the coop at night until I coaxed them in and comforted them while they saw that they were safe.

You will need to do the same with your chicks. Be gentle and show them the way to go inside at night. Stay with them talking softly until they settle in. It could take just a couple days or a couple weeks to get them used to going in on their own and trusting that they are safe.

Meanwhile, you will need to take steps to keep them separate and safe both in the coop and in the run until this trauma ceases to be a problem for them. Enlarging the run and creating safe places up high and places to escape a bully are essential. A plain rectangular run is not a safe space for chicks. Complexity such as old chairs, tables, shelves, perches, and partitions can help chicks find safety after they have learned which chickens are aggressive and cruel so they know to evade them.

 

[EggMeOn255]

How big is your coop?

It was advertised as a 12 chicken coop. There are 5 nesting boxes and 4 roosts which will accommodate 3 full-size birds each.

 

[EggMeOn255]

This is a tough problem. I agree. Chickens can be brutal. I just had a three-day old chick killed, the only chick to hatch from five eggs a broody had incubated. It's both disturbing and disappointing.

So, where to go from here? You've already hit on the basic tactic to keep the youngsters safe - separate them from the flock while they finish growing and maturing. However, the chicks need to be in close proximity to the flock for two important reasons.

One is to keep them safe while they observe the senior members of the flock and learn their individual temperaments, but the older chickens need to get used to them being part of the flock. The other is that chicks have a natural fear and respect for older chickens and are naturally intimidated by them. They need time to grow and mature and to develop self confidence without constantly living in fear of being attacked.

They've been badly traumatized by the brutality of the older chickens and the death of their mate. I saw how deeply affected chicks can be by the death of one a few years ago when one died suddenly in the coop they were all sharing together. They refused to go into the coop at night until I coaxed them in and comforted them while they saw that they were safe.

You will need to do the same with your chicks. Be gentle and show them the way to go inside at night. Stay with them talking softly until they settle in. It could take just a couple days or a couple weeks to get them used to going in on their own and trusting that they are safe.

Meanwhile, you will need to take steps to keep them separate and safe both in the coop and in the run until this trauma ceases to be a problem for them. Enlarging the run and creating safe places up high and places to escape a bully are essential. A plain rectangular run is not a safe space for chicks. Complexity such as old chairs, tables, shelves, perches, and partitions can help chicks find safety after they have learned which chickens are aggressive and cruel so they know to evade them.

Thank you! I had put the dog crate they were in as hatchlings back in along with part of a metal cage used around molasses vats as a roosting device when I separated them off. I will add perches higher up in the run so they can get up out of the reach of the older chickens. The run is only about 10x10 but they are only closed in for the night as I open the run at first light and don't secure it until after they're all in. I'm not sure how many changes I can make to the run because we have altered it to be moveable so we can change its location when the grass gets thin. Should I try placing them in the coop after the older birds are settled?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It was advertised as a 12 chicken coop. There are 5 nesting boxes and 4 roosts which will accommodate 3 full-size birds each.

What the coop was advertised at is meaningless. I've never seen a manufactured coop that didn't grossly over exaggerate how many birds it would hold. They always put way more nesting boxes on the building than the amount of birds it will hold would ever need.
What matters is square footage of floor space. That means, what are the interior dimensions - length by width?

 

[EggMeOn255]

What the coop was advertised at is meaningless. I've never seen a manufactured coop that didn't grossly over exaggerate how many birds it would hold. They always put way more nesting boxes on the building than the amount of birds it will hold would ever need.
What matters is square footage of floor space. That means, what are the interior dimensions - length by width?

The coop is 3.5x5. In the past we have had up to 11 birds in it. We seem to lose about a half dozen every year due to predation....mostly hawks and golden eagles.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

A 3.5x5 coop can hold 4 or 5 LF chickens.
And is that interior floor dimensions or exterior?
I said, manufacturers over exaggerate what they can house.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Plus integration can more space than the minimum, because there has to be a way to restrict the older birds from getting to the younger ones when there's a difficult integration.

A larger coop would definitely help the situation, as well as a larger run. The space is needed for obstacles to help give the young ones a place to hide from the older ones. Out of sight, out of mind.