Help...training flock to a new coop....

[krazychickylady]

So I have a bit of a problem.... well last week we combined my older flock of hens which are 3 years old, with my young flock which are 5 months old.... there has been no fighting..... but my big issue is that we put them all together in a new bigger coop with a huge chicken yard on it.... the problem is that everyone seems all out of sorts in the new place..no one will use the nest boxes in the coop and no body will go into the coop at night to roost!!! so every night we are struggling to round them up to put them up at night.... How can I get them to realize they have to go in the coop at night????

 

[CountryGirl1120]

Keep them locked in for a couple days. Always does the trick for me. Last time I had one girl that used to go in all the time by herself suddenly stop and then another one followed. Locked them up for 3 days and now they all go in again on their own. As far as the nest boxes go put some fake eggs in there or even golf balls I've heard works.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Creatures of habit. They want to always do what they've always done.
They have to be locked in for a few days or if that isn't an option, train them to eat scratch or mealworms near dusk, lead them into the coop with them and then lock them in.
Make the nests attractive by making them dark with fake eggs.

 

[krazychickylady]

I'll try the fake eggs... I thought about locking them all in the coop for a few days, but honestly its so hot here and the coop is hot during the day, so I don't want to do that.... I might try waiting to feed them until dusk and then try the meal worms...