Getting hens to go in coop!

[Ayam Cemani Mommy]

Hello, and I hope everyone is having a great week! So far so good here. Waiting for the weekend so I can spend time with my family and my sweet chickens.
Ok let me tell you my story and see if anyone can help me..... Please help me!
I recently acquired 2 hens and their coop from someone who no longer wanted them. Great deal(free for all) I was told they are about a year and a half old. One is an Australorp I think(not sure) and the other is an Ameraucana or easter egger(again not sure).

They seem to be comfortable with their coop and the day after I broght them home I got my first egg.

It was exciting. Now I have one issue. They roost outside the coop, in the run. I can pick them up and put them in the coop at night but they wont go on their own.When I put them in the coop they dont lay eggs. Not sure if they ever had. The yard they used to be in was in a residential community with a tallllll fence. Very nice community and not one you would regularly see a chicken in. My yard is an acre in the country with coyotes coming through from time to time. I have a dog that keeps watch but it still makes me nervous.
Now I have also recently integrated my rooster in with them. Before the rooster they wanted to stay outside at night. I slowly introduced them. He was in a separate coop and run, next to theirs and they would chat through the wire. Then I put him in a carrier in their run for a few hours a day until everyone seemed comfortable. Now they seem good.
He loved to go in his coop at night, before moving, but now he stays out to protect the ladies, I suppose. I tried putting a light in the coop and he would go in but they were not interested. I have included pictures and just and FYI, we have a chicken tractor I put them in sometimes to let them explore and we are going to be fencing off a large part of the yard just for them. With netting to protect them from hawks etc..
So.... how to I get them to go in? Oh and the one I think is Ameraucana had feathers missing when I got them. They are growing back now.

 

[Noi]

I would guess they are just hot! (open beaks in one of the pics is a big clue to that - though it may not be the reason they are avoiding their coop).

Or maybe they're not yet feeling comfortable in the dark coop (perhaps hearing strange noises at night that they are not used to).

Do they go in and out of the coop during the day?
Can you give them treats in the coop, so they go in for that? Mine love scrambled eggs and watermelon!

And what do you mean by, "when I put them in the coop they won't lay eggs" - are you keeping them locked up in there?
Can you leave the coop open and let them decide - is their little run safe from predators, or can you make it so?

One last thing - was there a period of time when you placed them/herded them into the coop as it got dark and they were going to roost, and how did that go? Did they stay inside for the night once you helped them get in?

 

[Ayam Cemani Mommy]

I would guess they are just hot! (open beaks in one of the pics is a big clue to that - though it may not be the reason they are avoiding their coop).

Or maybe they're not yet feeling comfortable in the dark coop (perhaps hearing strange noises at night that they are not used to).

Do they go in and out of the coop during the day?
Can you give them treats in the coop, so they go in for that? Mine love scrambled eggs and watermelon!

And what do you mean by, "when I put them in the coop they won't lay eggs" - are you keeping them locked up in there?
Can you leave the coop open and let them decide - is their little run safe from predators, or can you make it so?

One last thing - was there a period of time when you placed them/herded them into the coop as it got dark and they were going to roost, and how did that go? Did they stay inside for the night once you helped them get in?

It is the coop they had at the other home they had. I put a light in to see if that worked, it didnt. Also i always leave the doors open and when they do lay eggs they go in there. They just dont sleep in there. They go in and out all day it has a window on each side i leave open because its warm here. I give them frozen fruit when i can and ice water. Also frozen bottles during the hottest part of the day. I closed the door when i put them in a few nights. But they went off lay when i did that. They are sweet girls. They let me pick them up and never run from me. I just closed it at night to prevent predators from getting them. I opened it at 5:30 am before i went to work. The run they have is what u see in the picture for now. They go in the portable pen sometimes for fresh grass and bugs. When we can they are getting a big part of our yard. We have hawks, coyotes, and snakes around so it takes a lot to make it safe. We just had a 5ft snake in our house. Yuck!

 

[Noi]

What else would you do to make that run more secure?
It looks fine to me but maybe I'm missing something...
If it's secure I would just leave them be.
They might just be hot (which explains why they'd stop laying when locked up in there)...

 

[Ayam Cemani Mommy]

What else would you do to make that run more secure?
It looks fine to me but maybe I'm missing something...
If it's secure I would just leave them be.
They might just be hot (which explains why they'd stop laying when locked up in there)...

I think that is what I will do from now on. I just worry about them. I really like them. They are great. I am so glad I got them. All my chickens are my babies. I tend to worry too much sometimes. Lol thank you

 

[Eggscaping]

I can't tell from the picture - what sort of ventilation is in the coop? You're in Texas, so it's very hot there, yes? If there isn't adequate ventilation in the coop, then they're going to get even hotter in there - chicken bodies produce heat and maybe it's just cooler and more comfortable outside where they have more ventilation and maybe even some breeze at night.
One thing I've learned from this forum is... ventilation, ventilation, ventilation!

 

[Ayam Cemani Mommy]

I can't tell from the picture - what sort of ventilation is in the coop? You're in Texas, so it's very hot there, yes? If there isn't adequate ventilation in the coop, then they're going to get even hotter in there - chicken bodies produce heat and maybe it's just cooler and more comfortable outside where they have more ventilation and maybe even some breeze at night.
One thing I've learned from this forum is... ventilation, ventilation, ventilation!

The windows on each side stay open and after the sun goes downn i open up the nesting boxes to let cool air blow through. The 2 front doors are open at all times including both windows.

 

[Sea Wolf]

The perch that they are sitting on, go in, just before dark, and take it down. Don't give them a place to sit out there. Make them go in the coop and close the door to protect them. Let them out in the morning and put the perch back. It may have to be a routine for a while before they get into the habit of going in on their own. Is there a good perch inside that is good for their feet? It may not be as comfortable as the one outside.

 

[aart]

Agrees it's probably hot in there...an is there even a roost inside that coop?
Pics of inside coop, please?

 

[Ayam Cemani Mommy]

That is a great idea! Thank you so much. Yes there are 2 perches inside they are sort of low so I am going to raise them up a little. They are rounded on top for comfort. The one outside isn't.