How do I make my chickens stop roosting everywhere BUT the coop?

[Picklesquidly]

This all started when I closed off the nest box after my pullets kept sleeping in it. Before then, my chickens all slept in the nest box as chicks, and they never used the roost. I later found out they shouldn't become accustomed to sleeping in them, so I blocked it off.

Ever since I closed the nest box, my two bantams have started roosting/sleeping on my outdoor furniture, the shelf, and at one point, the arbor. Since they began this behaviour, I just picked them up and put them in the coop every night, where they roost after I move them.

A few weeks ago, I bought three little chicks to add to my flock. They've only been outside for a week (introduced outside at 4 weeks old) and now the bantams are teaching my chicks how to roost on my porch or on my furniture, instead of the coop.

Moving all five chickens to the coop every single night is getting very tiring. How do I make them go to the coop instead of anywhere else?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Do you have a run attached to the coop that can be used to confine them safely for a period? If so, employ the run to do a little coop training of your birds. You *could* just do 24/7 confinement for about a week (then let them out for a test run) or you can modify that approach by letting them out for most of the day but then move them into the run an hour or two before they usually go to roost so that when the time to go to roost comes they are in the run and the coop becomes the most attractive place to go. Using a method that encourages/allows them to move into the coop under their own power is more effective, imo, than physically moving them in yourself. You want to make the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard -- if they are confined in the immediate vicinity of the coop at the time to roost, they are more likely to choose the coop as the place to roost.

 

[Picklesquidly]

I kept them in their coop for an entire week, but they resumed their roosting behaviour after I let them free-range again. (There is no run, they range through my yard for most of the day.)
Instead of moving them into a run before their usual bed-time, could I instead put them in the coop itself early?

 

[goingducks]

Kinda new to chickens but my chickens went Brody! One was fine she kept sitting on eggs for about a week then gave up (we were taking eggs from her there is no rooster) So that's fine she's back to normal. But a different hen went missing so we thought something must of got her she was gone three days then we seen her yesterday she went Brody and has a nest in the tall reeds by our creek and she came out cause a snake was in her nest!! The snake has moved and we plan on getting rid of the eggs but my question is how to stop our chickens from laying outside of their house (she won't even come in the house at night and something will eventually get her) just got a rooster yesterday hoping he will keep the girls in line

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I kept them in their coop for an entire week, but they resumed their roosting behaviour after I let them free-range again. (There is no run, they range through my yard for most of the day.)
Instead of moving them into a run before their usual bed-time, could I instead put them in the coop itself early?

You could - however, their behavior is leading me to think that a bit more consideration of their apparent aversion to the coop needs to be made. Can you tell us about your coop or, better still, take some photos? It may be that there are some factors making your coop the least desirable roosting choice and that would make it very natural for them to continue to choose an alternative place when able to choose. If this is the case, addressing those factors (may be some very simple changes you could make) would be more effective long-term and make things easier for you. Do you intend to close the coop each evening for predator protection since the coop is open to the environment?

 

[Picklesquidly]

Theres no need; I got them to roost in the coop again

Apparently all I had to do was move the shelf where they were roosting!