Getting the girls INSIDE the coop at night??

[aart]

So, how would you suggest I break them from perching on the roof?

Put them in the coop after dark, night after night.
Maybe in the big coop.
How long have birds been mingling?
Is big coop big enough for all birds?
Separate roost for newbies a good idea

Rig something on top of coop to deter perching there.
Is that ridge cap wood?
If so. I would drive some long screws at the ends and string some wire or string between them about 3" above ridge.

Might be good to start new thread so as not to continue to hijack this one.

 

[Susan Dye]

Put them in the coop after dark, night after night.
Maybe in the big coop.
How long have birds been mingling?
Is big coop big enough for all birds?
Separate roost for newbies a good idea

Rig something on top of coop to deter perching there.
Is that ridge cap wood?
If so. I would drive some long screws at the ends and string some wire or string between them about 3" above ridge.

Might be good to start new thread so as not to continue to hijack this one.

"How long have birds been mingling?" A couple of weeks.
"Is big coop big enough for all birds?" No
"Is that ridge cap wood?" No
But screws/string might still work.
Thanks!
Sorry about hijacking. Did not realize that was what I was doing. Still new to all this.

 

[ash_en_em]

Second the night light. Mine were not wanting to go up in the coop at night until I installed a night light. It came on at dusk and turned off after an hour. Chickens have terrible night vision so they don't like climbing up into a dark place where they cannot see. By the third night they were putting themselves to bed and don't need the night light anymore.

I also agree with the light. My girls were lingering around when the sun was out, but so low there weren't shadows. I could call for them to get them back in, but I knew they needed to learn to go in at night on their own. I hung a flashlight in the coop, and would turn it on an hour before sundown (did this for a week as that seems to be how long it takes to teach a chickens something new) and now they just go in.

 

[camic]

I believe I may have the dumbest chickens in the history of all chickens
They have a light. I trail the food up into the coop and I see some of them walking up and down the ramp so I KNOW they know where it is...
I took out the big girls. My rooster is a kind and gentle old guy, and thus far has not had a single cranky moment with the young girls...

this is exhausting

 

[Mach 1 Padilla]

Wait to they go to sleep wherever, then during the night move them to the coop. after a couple of days they will get the idea.

 

[TLCMidMichigan]

The coop door is closed after all the chickens leave in the morning. I will place 2 or 3 cans of cat food-Purina(pata) in on the floor. Then at night, about 7:00 or so their ready to go in. I open the door and its a mad dash to go in.
I have done this process and been fortunate so far.

 

[Yus745]

I have 3 older hens and a really nice rooster. I needed a new flock and I have a beautiful group of 13 chickens (Brahma, americanas, gold sex link, silver wyandotte and buff orpingtons) I took all the advice on here and put them in the bottom of the coop in a makeshift area while they were babies and they could see the bigger chickens without getting hurt. I have now opened up the entire coop and things go pretty well with the older chickens just kind of taking pot shots at the younger ones when they are in the way (no bloodshed lol) HOWEVER... the new flock will NOT get into the coop at night. They roost out in the screened in area or on the ground! We did a chicken rodeo for 2 nights and put them in the upper coop but as soon as we stopped rounding them up and putting them in the top coop they just regressed to staying out side all night... The older chickens did peck at them in the indoor coop and would not let them up on the roosts but it was not that bad. It is almost like they can't figure out how to get up the ramp??? any advice is welcome! I need the younger girls to start figuring out how to sleep inside because it gets really cold here!

Hah the old rodeo i had attempted many times with success and they all go in themselves now but for you i suggest you try to put the young ones in first and let the older ones trail behind to scare the young in