get them to go outside. My 12 year son and myself spent all day working on their run. We got everything done, buttoned up tight. I go into the coop and open the pop door for them, and wait for the stampede of chicks trying to get out the door. Nothing not one, was brave enough to venture into the unknown. So I catch one, let me tell you that was fun. I set it outside hoping the others would follow. Nothing, just one lone chick outside chirping to be let back in. Ok maybe two will do the trick. Did I tell you those buggers are fast, out she goes, now I have two sitting outside the pop door, chirping to please be let back in. Ok enough is enough your chickens your supposed to be outside, my son and I will not be outsmarted by a bunch of chickens...so we thought. Well we finally got all 17 of them outside. We decide to go around and see what they are doing in the great outdoors, and by the time we walked around the barn to the run, no chickens. Huh? I asked my son did you close the door? no I thought you did, was the response. So back to the coop we go. Sure enough there they are all back inside acting all innocent. Till I walked into the coop, I got the here he comes again response. By now my son and I have gotten a system down on catching them, but only this time as soon as one would get put out as soon and we would turn around it would jump back in. By the way chickens are fast. So here we are catching and re catching the same chickens. We finally get them all outside one more time, I close the pop door, aha, not so smart after all. We walk back around the barn to take in the site of chickens, doing chicken things outside. But no, on the Ridge farm nothing is as it should be. There are all 17 chickens huddled under the one piece of wood fence I left leaning against the barn for them. After admitting defeat, I went and opened the pop door again. They all flooded back into the coop. I went out after dinner and closed the door for the night, not one of the minded either.
how old are they? have you let them stay in their coop for a few days with out trying to put them outside? Ours didnt move to the coop till they where 5-6 weeks old, and then once in the coop we let them stay in there for a good 3 -4 days before we even offered them to go outside. If you have done that...then my nest advice is TREATS!! bribe them out, lol
Mine didn't come out for two full days after I opened the door. I wound up opening both the small chicken door AND the "people door," and that seemed to help. I kept doing that for a week or so. Now they use the small door. Anyway, I bet that eventually their curiosity will get the best of them!
they are chicken (pun intended) open the door each day and let them venture out on their own . My years of raising chicks, introducing them to new things is always a challenge, but it's worth the wait.