coop dilemma

[Atomic Rooster]

How do get chickens to relocate to a new coop? I round them up this evening and placed them in there new home. How long should I leave them in there for them to call it home. I also have 2 young buff who huddled up in bushes outside the coop outside the coop at roosting time. Whats up with that.

 

[10happychickens]

I read somewhere that they should be "cooped up" for 3 days. Don't know if you'll be able to do that if your coop is enclosed and the weather is hot, but that's what we did.
Good luck.

 

[sheaviance1]

I recently got a new-to-me coop. I had to close the pop door on the old one and leave them with no alternative. A coupld wouldn't go in, so i waited until they were just about desperate to go somewhere, picked them up and put them on the roost in the new one. The next day, was a repeat with only one or two. Ever since then, they love their new coop and go in on their own every night.

 

[Rockerchic]

Try giving them a daily treat at the new coop. Powerful motivator. What is happening to the old coop?

 

[Mahonri]

I'd keep them inside (if there is enough room) for at least a week, feed, water... everything in there.

Then they'll come back home at night.

 

[ADozenGirlz]

I moved my first flock from the brooder to the coop and kept them in the coop for about a week before even letting them out of the coop. As far as they knew, the coop was an new, oversized brooder! Then I let them out into the run during the days (but no free-ranging yet) for several weeks. They always found their way back into the coop by themselves at night. After that, I let them free-range during the entire day and they make their way into the coop at dusk with no issues at all.

I think it's a really important step to take. I've read lots of stories on BYC that involve problems with chickens being unwilling to go into the coop at night. That's a pain to have to deal with, so do it the easy way and keep them confined for a brief period of time until they accept their new home as the place to return to every night.