Dilema in the hen house! Help!

[henhousemom]

I have 6 -17 week old RSL and 2 -13 week RIR - our coop is 6ft x 6ft (with roost, nesting boxes,water and food) a pen that is 6ft x 20ft (with a outside roost) they also free range during the day and put up at night - they have been together for about a monthand a half now - the two ones come and go into the coop all through the day, eat and drink with the others with no problem - the dilemma is at night....the 6 older ones go in the coop to roost but the two younger ones roost on the outside roost no matter the weather... shouldn't they go into the coop as well??? What should I do? I do have a tarp over the section where they sleep but want them to go in the coop where it is dry and out of the weather....please help or am I worrying for nothing????

 

[Den in Penn]

You are not worrying for nothing. You want them safe in the coop. Keep putting them in sooner (hopefully) or latter they will get the message. If they are persistent you may have to deep them in the coop for a few days. I find that newly integrated birds tend to try to sleep apart from the rest of the flock for awhile.

 

[henhousemom]

Thank you - So I should shut them in the coop with the others at night? Just making sure I am clear

 

[Den in Penn]

Shut them in so they get used to sleeping in the coop, not the run.

 

[chickenyarder]

I would like to get in on this thread because I am dealing with a similar issue. I have a 5x5 coop with two 1 year olds and three 16 week olds. One of the older birds is clearly the dominant chicken and keeps the new girls pretty confined to a section of the run. Everyone is feeding and watering as we have 2 waterers and feeders but our problem is at night as well. We have a smaller coop that the chicks have been growing in and I want all of the girls together so I can put the one coop (brooding pen?) away for the year. For the last 4 nights we have waited until its almost totally dark and then we grab the 16 week olds and put them in the big girls coop and shut the door. There wasn't much commotion until last night when we put them in a little earlier than usual. The dominant hen was biting one of the little girls on the neck so I grabbed her up and locked her in the little coop. The other older chicken made a HUGE racket for about 5 minutes, when it got quiet we went inside. I let them out early and it was business as usual until tonight. This time the 16 week olds tried to go to bed in the big coop but the dominant hen was chasing them away. After the third time I grabbed the old girl and locked her up until the little ones perched in the big coop followed by the other hen making noise the whole way. After dark I put the dominant hen in with the others and repeatedly heard a loud squak. I saw that the little girls were on the big girls side of the roost and the dominant chicken was biting the smallest hen on the neck while the bigger 16 week old tried to cover it with its wing. After the third time I opened the coop and pinched the older girls on the neck until they moved over to the other end. I didn't hear anything for about 10 minutes and came in to write this.

Any advice at all is appreciated. Thank You

 

[Den in Penn]

chickenyarder: Welcome to BYC.
Chickens do have a favorite spot to roost. And there can be some squabbling until they get the spot. If all is good during the day, and they have accepted the older one as top of the pecking order, then she will want her spot. For a quicker settling at night would have been better to move the younger ones to a spot not hers. Her grabbing them is her way of telling the young ones to get out of her spot. It may look rough but they will get the message and not go to her spot or quickly move when she shows up. I let them work out the sleeping arrangements themselves.

 

[diamond3girl]

I have 6 -17 week old RSL and 2 -13 week RIR - our coop is 6ft x 6ft (with roost, nesting boxes,water and food) a pen that is 6ft x 20ft (with a outside roost) they also free range during the day and put up at night - they have been together for about a monthand a half now - the two ones come and go into the coop all through the day, eat and drink with the others with no problem - the dilemma is at night....the 6 older ones go in the coop to roost but the two younger ones roost on the outside roost no matter the weather... shouldn't they go into the coop as well??? What should I do? I do have a tarp over the section where they sleep but want them to go in the coop where it is dry and out of the weather....please help or am I worrying for nothing???? 

 

[diamond3girl]

hi henhousemom. . im a bit of worrier myself and even put warm sml blankets in the nesting box at night. i cut up a big one into sml squares and my girls snuggle down together at night to keep warm but at first they wldnt sleep together so i shut them in.. a week later they were calling each other if anyone was left behind. they usually work out that this is wats expected and settle down.. in the morning i simply shake any poop off the blanket squares into a sml section of soil and use it for compost

 

[momoftwinsinwi]

Most of my birds roost in the rafters of the run, have since a weasel got into the coop one night, wiped out 10 of my birds, can't say I blame them and they seem to be doing ok, now I have 2 hens that will hatch out some chicks soon, so they will stay in the coop fenced off from the run for about a week or so, the weather is good here so everything I'm sure will be fine.

 

[chickenyarder]

Just wanted to post a quick update. We continued to put the little girls in the coop after the big girls went to bed. 2 of the little ones all ways sleep in the nesting boxes and the last one to bed I'm sure takes a little abuse before it gets completely dark and then all is quiet. I plan on installing an extra perch in the coop next weekend in hopes that all of the new girls will perch instead of nesting for the night.

Thank you everyone for your input.