Hen's not using the chicken coop - why?

[mrrossi]

Thanks again for the answers, love the details in these!!

I've managed to slide the "not very slidey" tray out of the bottom and put in the floor, this has made the roosts much higher. I need to measure and determine if it's enough but I could always raise it higher with some slabs/bricks under the legs.

I'll double check the ventilation, but the nest box open / cloth idea is good!

Great point about the light. I've had a camera out there too and they flock to that; perhaps as it emits heat but also infrared??? Maybe I can move that into the coop.

I tried putting one in the coop yesterday via the nest box, with the door open so they could just see inside that it was "nice" and leave when they wanted but she just shot straight out the door again!! So will close the door and try again today (didn't have much time yesterday)

 

[Mouthpear]

Roost bars go above nest box level as high as you can get. I wouldn't use that if i were a chicken.

Most of the time that is true but if you make the nest boxes close at night it doesn't matter how high the bars are.

I posted this some time ago. It has a video where the chickens get pushed out before dark. All the roosting bars are actually BELOW the nest boxes.

 

[David61]

Most of the time that is true but if you make the nest boxes close at night it doesn't matter how high the bars are.

I posted this some time ago. It has a video where the chickens get pushed out before dark. All the roosting bars are actually BELOW the nest boxes.

pushing chickens around making them do unnatural things. I bet they put a picture of Colonel Sanders in the coop too.

 

[Mouthpear]

unnatural things.

Um. What?

Did you just go to so weird dark place?

 

[David61]

Um. What?

Did you just go to so weird dark place?

you're the one posting vids of pushing chickens around. I have never met a low roosting chicken that didn't have issues. it's madness i tell you, just madness.

 

[Mouthpear]

you're the one posting vids of pushing chickens around.

Um No. Why are you changing the wording. It's not pushing the around it is pushing the out of the nest box. So again HOW is that "unnatural"?

I have never met a low roosting chicken that didn't have issues.

Then you don't have a lot of experience with chickens.
I mean just look at all those chickens that are doing fine and they don't even roost on bars, they are on the grass. LOL.

Either way my comment stands and I am not amused with this conversation.

 

[David61]

Doing fine? Those chickens look crazy to me and i should know. I'm sorry your not amused because i'm laughing so hard i fell off my roost. which we know is kind of high.

 

[mrrossi]

Erm... OP here... not quite sure what those last few responses were all about, but, erm... thanks?? I think ...

 

[JuliosRun]

Erm... OP here... not quite sure what those last few responses were all about, but, erm... thanks?? I think ...

Yeah I am getting one side, @Mouthpear made a valid comment but the other guy just went off the rails. LOL.

 

[SamLockwood]

My own $0.02 on the OP:

The coop looks a bit small and dark even for only 3 hens it's a bit on the small side. The roosting bars are not only low but they're in a bit of a weird place. As others pointed out it doesn't look well ventilated so unless you're going to clean that poop tray out frequently you'll need to add some vents to evacuate the ammonia as the droppings break down.

I don't like the majority of pre-fabricated chicken coops out there (which is why I had my own built from plans I altered to my taste), but a couple things you could try:

• Add some roosting bars higher up. The coop looks low enough if they wanted to sleep just under the rafters they could make it in one jump.
• Add some lighting or cut some vents near the peak (covered with hardware cloth, of course). That way they can see at night and you won't have to deal with the poop as often.
• Train the hens by herding or placing them in the coop at night and closing the door.

Alternatively, you can try making all or part of their current enclosure more secure and just have some "outdoor" roosting bars for them.
I have some old hens that hate sleeping in coops, and in the summertime few of the birds wanted to sleep inside and they stayed "outside" in the secure run between the coops on roosting bars I had out there.