Getting the girls INSIDE the coop at night??

[camic]

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!

 

[Simplyrla]

I had a similar problem .I did not have the older chickens but my chick didn't want to go into the coop after transitioning from the brooder. I decided to hang a low wattage battery operated light. No problems after that .I don't even need the light anymore. They just go in at dusk.

 

[aart]

Couple things.
How old are youngsters?
How big is coop, in feet by feet?
What is roost arrangement, length/location.
Details, dimensions, and pics would help immensely.

Roost time is the most contentious time of day, even with a well established flock it can be chaotic. I call it the RoostTimeRumble. It's even more contentious when a younger sub-flock is present. Separate roosts for the youngers can often solve the problem immediately.

Have the youngsters ever been in the coop during the day?

 

[camic]

Our coop is complicated... lol... it is a shed that is 12x5 but it is actually very tall (not sure of the exact height but it has a loft on one side that needs a ladder (it is where I keep straw, feed, meds etc) so the actual coop is on the second level and is about 4 feet off the ground. There are abundant roosts though. 5 2x4/s triangulated (so they don't poop on each other lol) from bottom to the top. the coop floor is only 4x4 but goes way up to the rafters and has a small nesting box... floor space is limited but roost space is pretty free... I divided my little flock yesterday. I gave the older girls to my friend who wanted proven layers (I kept my 5 year old black silkie who still lays!) and I am down to 8 of the new flock... I kept the rooster with the younger chicks and locked my little silkie up-she is a fierce little thing but very motherly... so I am heading out today to see if I had any luck... (ps- they have a giant screened in run- so they get outside the coop)

 

[snow5164]

That was smart to divide your flock , now you have a more manageable number .

I hope the rooster is accepting of the young ones.

Your coop sounds interesting , where does the silkie sleep ?

Let us know how it goes at night now , good luck

 

[aart]

Vertical space can help, but a 4' width is tight space for subordinates to 'get away'.
Why only 4x4 in a 12x5 building?
What is your climate like?

Where in this world are you located?
Climate is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, then it's always there!

 

[camic]

I am in Idaho... just outside of Boise. And we only had a flock of 3 when we built it. There is a 10x20 run and all around the coop is predator fenced. They only sleep in the coop part. most of the current coop is a mini "barn" right now. It CAN be added to... I was just hopeful that we could thin the flock enough that they could sleep in it

 

[camic]

That was smart to divide your flock , now you have a more manageable number .

I hope the rooster is accepting of the young ones.

Your coop sounds interesting , where does the silkie sleep ?

Let us know how it goes at night now , good luck

and oops... I forgot how forums work all updated now...I will try and upload a pic later today. The silkie sleeps in the rafters of the coop... do not ask me how she gets there... she is tiny but fierce.

 

[aart]

most of the current coop is a mini "barn" right now.

Ohhhh...other animals in there?

 

[camic]

Ohhhh...other animals in there?

no... just the chickens, some horse tack, feed, and misc. "stuff" lol