How to get your chickens to go into the coop at night

[kingsartisans]

We have 3 chickens and are wondering how we can get them to stay up in the coop at night. The funny thing is that they are laying in
the nesting box which proves they can and do go up there but for some reason they stay and sleep down in the run at night.
We have tried to shut them in the coop overnight but they still don't go up at night.

Btw, why do they need to go up any way??? If you have any thoughts on these questions that would be great. Thanks!!!

 

[iwiw60]

We have 3 chickens and are wondering how we can get them to stay up in the coop at night. The funny thing is that they are laying in
the nesting box which proves they can and do go up there but for some reason they stay and sleep down in the run at night.
We have tried to shut them in the coop overnight but they still don't go up at night.

Btw, why do they need to go up any way??? If you have any thoughts on these questions that would be great. Thanks!!!

There's a myriad of answers to your questions!

1. First off, why are you allowing them to sleep in the nesting boxes...bad habits are hard to break. You don't want them sleeping in them, poop, etc.....you want them to lay their eggs in them.

2. I'm assuming from your post that they are free-ranging (?) Towards dusk you should go out there with a special treat in your hands and coax them in with it.

3. If they are kept in a run (as mine are) the first week or so I would go out into the run and take a long broom handle stick thing and just slowly, very slowly, start coaxing them over to the pophole. It took forever the first few nights! But now when I go out to the coop at dusk as I approach the coop door I tell them "it's time to go to bed!" and in they go...so funny!

4. Once in the coop for the night be SURE to close their pophole up...two reasons for that...no drafts on them during the night, and security from predators getting in.

I'm sure there are more reasons than I've listed here, but someone else will be along with more info, too....best of luck...it takes PATIENCE for sure!