How to make chickens to go into coop at night?

[Nicolebeaudry]

We have a coop that we purchased from Tractor supply that was supposed to be big enough for 18 chickens, we have 10, the coop has windows as well but it’s been kind of cold the last couple nights so I hadn’t left them open, but I can, again I am new at this. All the chickens fit in the coop no problem and I could put food and water in their I would just need to buy different setup for inside the coop. We have large hanging feeder and waterer inside the run.
As long as it’s ok for me to let them out during the day (the weather is nice here during the day, I live in NC), and keep putting them in at night until they are ready to go in themselves then I will do that. I just wanted to make sure it was not harming the chickens by doing this. They seem happy in the run during the day. I just want happy, healthy chickens!!

 

[Nicolebeaudry]

 

[jthornton]

My guess is you got the Innovation Pet Big Green Walk-In Hen House... looks like it has about 60 sq ft of run so big enough for 6 chickens. The coop looks to be about 3 x 7 or big enough for 5 chickens.

JT

 

[Howard E]

I have found a couple things to be important with birds and housing. First, they have to be "homed" to the house, as in spend time in there confined to quarters. My daughter has a hand me down coop like the one shown above, about the same size of coop and run. All of her birds have been started out confined to the interior of the house. Not the house and run....just the house alone. Opening was screened off to keep them in it. At least a week. Then when they are let out, they will venture out, but will always return to the friendly confines of the coop....many back and forth adventures.....but always back inside to roost at night.

Second.......house has to be a place they like and will use. They will vote with their feet. Just because you have provided them with a death trap torture style sweat box, dolled it up and called it their coop....... does not mean they have to like and use it. If they don't, they won't. If you open the door to the coop and notice it to be any different temp than the outside (as in hotter), know the birds will sense that long before you do. I think a lot of us should be forced to sit out an afternoon inside the torture chamber coops we provide to see how much we like it. Hot stuffy and dark? I wouldn't go in there either. (BTW, hot, stuffy and dark in summer becomes cold, wet and dark in winter). Both miserable places to spend any time.

And lastly, the number I have seen for several of these commercial coops is 1.5 SF per bird. That is 1/3rd the space they really need. So take a number like 18 birds if that is what was indicated for that coop, and divide by 3 and you get to about where the real capacity should be.

 

[Nicolebeaudry]

Yes that is what we bought, they spend most of the day in the run and in a couple weeks when they are acclimated they will be free ranging. We have a large section of our yard fenced in specifically for them. All the reviews say this coop should hold 8-10 chickens. If we need to make modifications for the winter time we will

 

[Folly's place]

Commercial standards are not the same as appropriate comfortable living conditions, as we all want to provide for our birds!
At least four, and preferably five, sq. ft. per bird in their coop, and ten or so sq. ft. per bird in the run, are sizes that have worked well for most of use for decades.
If you fortify this entire structure to make it predator proof (it isn't now!), it would work as a coop for your birds. Then add an attached run. Or, get a decent sized walk-in coop, and use this one for babies ,broody hens, or something.
Mary

 

[Nicolebeaudry]

Commercial standards are not the same as appropriate comfortable living conditions, as we all want to provide for our birds!
At least four, and preferably five, sq. ft. per bird in their coop, and ten or so sq. ft. per bird in the run, are sizes that have worked well for most of use for decades.
If you fortify this entire structure to make it predator proof (it isn't now!), it would work as a coop for your birds. Then add an attached run. Or, get a decent sized walk-in coop, and use this one for babies ,broody hens, or something.
Mary

The picture I sent was when we first built it, before we got the chickens we put more "fencing" underneath the entire run so no critters could dig in/under. We also have the entire thing fenced in within our back yard as well so when we are ready then can free range. We have fenced in little over a 1/4 of an acre of our yard for them to free range and we plan on opening up more as we all become more comfortable (we have 4 acres).

 

[lazy gardener]

That coop is big enough for 4 to 5 birds as stated by @jthornton . IMO, this is why they are not using it. The reviews are wrong. Yes, you can crowd that many birds in there, but that is exactly what you will do. Crowd them. Crowded birds are stressed birds. Stressed birds are aggressive birds. Many threads started every season by folks who's birds are attacking each other, feather picking, scalping, and sometimes cannibalizing their flock mates. Stressed birds are also prone to disease.

You could turn the entire structure into a coop, and then add an appropriate sized run. The alternate choice would be to decrease flock size to 4 or 5 birds.

 

[blackdog043]

before we got the chickens we put more "fencing" underneath the entire run so no critters could dig in/under.

It would be better to have an apron 18" - 24" around the whole coop and run, instead of under the run. The chickens will be scratching at the wire instead of the ground which could hurt their feet. You can hold the apron down with landscape pins until grass grows up through it, then you can just mow over it.

If you want to get your chickens back in the run/coop anytime of the day.(since you will be letting them out) Get a small bag of scratch and put it in a container so you can shake it, as you shake it use a word/words or a phrase to call them and throw some scratch in their run. Only use these words/phrase when you want them in the run. Before long they will know you have a treat for them when you use the same phrase.

I hope you don't think people are attacking you on your coop size, prefabs are always overstated with the quantity of chickens they can hold. With giving them access to your yard, it will work a little better. Like stated above, you might want to consider enclosing the whole thing to make a bigger coop and make a new run. Also, open your windows/ventilation, it's not to cold with the upper 20 degree overnight temps we have had in NC. I'm in Denver, a little north of Charlotte, I have windows/ventilation open all year long. Good ventilation is needed in a coop all year.

 

[jthornton]

To salvage what you have take the nest box off and relocate it under the coop. Make a roost 6"-8" above the floor that is in the middle of the short dimension and run it the long dimension if that gives the most roost space otherwise 2 roosts across the short dimension. That should give you enough roost space.

Like @blackdog043 said remove the fence from under the coop and make a skirt with it.

Inside the run take the gable end off and replace with hardware cloth for proper ventilation.
JT