Getting chickens to go outside the coop

[schredbird]

My chickens won't go outside of their coop...any suggestions?

 

[BellevueOmlet]

Put their food outside, they will venture out when they get hungry

 

[gritsar]

A coffee can with scratch rattling around in it works well to draw them out. So does half of a really ripe watermelon left just outside the coop door where they can see it.

Just curious, have they always been raised under cover? Did you just get them?

 

[P-Funk]

Time. Mine hid behind the feeder for a week(s). Now i have to find them to get them back in.

 

[rugerham]

I'm new to this too and my pullets hardly ever venture out. They did the first day, but since then they seem to like it inside. I'm glad to hear that they will eventually start coming out. I like the watermelon idea. That sounds like a win-win situation for everyone!

I'll try that this weekend.

 

[chicken daddy]

Im actually having the oposite problem. I am new to raising chickens as well, but when I open up their coop, after an hour or so they will venture out but they dont seem to want to go back in. Ive seen them use the ramp up and down so I know they can, but I thought they would typically want to go back in when the sun goes down, but there have been several nights where I have to pick them up and put them back in. Any ideas?? I dont want to let them stay out all night. I would be worried about predators getting to them.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:

Did you keep them locked in their coop for a period of time before turning them out? If not, that may be necessary. Yes, they'll hate it. They'll get over it. That will train their litte brains to accept the coop as home. It seems slightly cruel, but it really is for their own good. Death by nighttime predator is no fun either.

I like knowing that all of my chickens will go into their coop at night regardles of whether I am there to watch or not. That's the reason for the lock up to start.

 

[sj3364]

I can verify that the lockup works. I let me chick have the run of the run and the yard when I'm around to supervise as soon as I put them outside. I could not get the me to go into the coop at night without chasing them down and putting them in the coop and shutting the door really fast. I locked them up for 5 days and after about 2 days they hated it. When I let them outside again, the first night when I went to put them to bed, they were already inside on their roosts.

All was good until yesterday. It started to rain, not hard, but my daughter thought they should go in their coop. She went out and chased them all down, collecting them in her arms and put them in the coop. I did not know any of this. I went out later in the afternoon and they were all huddled in the nesting box and would not come anywhere near me and did not come out the rest of the day.

Today, I opened up the coop and they have not come outside at all. I had their food and water outside and thought they would eventually come out. Nope. I was able to get them to come to me with treats but not to come outside. Around noon I finally put the outside and they all just ran back in and are still there now. I guess I just wait and hopefully they will come back outside again. My daughter must have really traumatized them. She like the chicks and is very kind to them. I'm not sure what freaked them out so badly but they sure are freaked out. Poor things.

 

[chicken daddy]

Thanks for the tips, I will try that!

 

[luzalcocer]

hi ,,, i need inf. about my hens sleping on the coop floor why is that now happenig .