Integration question about night time coop entry

[milogirly]

I have 3, 9 week old pullets that have been out in the run with the big girls for a week now. I couldn't put them out there any sooner because winter decided to arrive in late spring. They have a dog pen setup with the door partially opened so they can get in and out as they please and have a safe place to eat, nap, dust bathe, etc.

My 8 hens are just a little over a year old and are slowly adjusting to life with the new littles. They have not been overly aggressive, but definitely let the pullets know their place. The 2 hens on the lower end of the pecking order seem to chase the the pullets around (which is expected) and the others don't really seem to care. My 2 "alpha" hens have no issues with the littles and I actually caught one of them hanging out in the little run with the chicks yesterday in the nice shade.

I have been putting the pullets in the coop before the big girls go to bed and that seems to be working out well. When I open the chicken door in the morning (before daylight), the littles have been creeping closer and closer to the big girls. One of the bravest pullets has no problem going out with the hens in the morning, but I have to kick the other two out. I know that will change with more time.

My hens are very weird and all but 3 sleep on the floor right by the coop door (they have done this since they were pullets, even though I have nice roost bars on the other end of the coop). My question is, when should I try to let the pullets go in by themselves? They haven't even gone close to the coop at dusk yet and just huddle by the gate to the run.

 

[Harmony Fowl]

I would put them in each night until they do it on their own. I have a batch of nine seven-week-olds joining my flock of 21. At first I put them in a rabbit cage in the coop at night so they would have a safe place and also because they would not enter on their own. It only took a couple nights of that before they started entering on their own. That was at five weeks. Even now I still find them outside the coop bedded together elsewhere and I have to put them all away, but most nights that isn’t the case. I don’t know about broody-raised chicks, but human-raised youngsters like yours and mine, I’ve noticed they are last to bed, out much later than the others. I give them until 15 minutes or so after official sunset before I put them away, longer if older birds are still out, too. My only other suggestion is to add something to the coop, a box or a board leaning against the wall or something else that will divide the space a little so they feel like they are not intruding on the older chickens’ space. That may get them to enter and roost there instead. My 11-weekers always roost in the coop now, but my seven-weekers are still inconsistent. Keep trying.

 

[JedJackson]

Agree, keep doing what you're doing until they get the hang of it. They will, eventually.

 

[aart]

My hens are very weird and all but 3 sleep on the floor right by the coop door (they have done this since they were pullets, even though I have nice roost bars on the other end of the coop).

This is odd....wonders if you have enough ventilation and if roosts are easily accessible and feel 'safe'. Pics of coop and roosts may help us help you rectify this situation.
The hens 'roosting' at the door are going to deter the youngers from cooping on their own.

 

[Chickiemom25]

took me about a week of putting the girls in myself ( and locking them in as I would put them in one end ( near the nesting boxes) and they would run out the other end of the coop with the ladder. ) now my little ones go in on their own but they are the LAST girls in.. My roos even make it in before the youngsters. My lower roosting pole is still a good 2' off the floor so it makes it harder for my youngsters to roost but all 5 are up there now at about 9 weeks. They do have to cheat and just up on the nest box roof to get to the lower pole.

 

[milogirly]

This is odd....wonders if you have enough ventilation and if roosts are easily accessible and feel 'safe'. Pics of coop and roosts may help us help you rectify this situation.
The hens 'roosting' at the door are going to deter the youngers from cooping on their own.

Here are pictures of the inside of the coop. I caved and put a roost by the door last summer when the girls would just sleep in a pile just to the left of the door. I tried and tried and only got 3 of them to roost at night. There is plenty of ventilation as there is a gap all the way around the top of the coop under the roof. I did block off part of it for the winter, but there are no ventilation issues at all.

 

[Harmony Fowl]

I think aart may be right and the chicks don’t want to enter with the older birds right there. You’ve got your ladies accustomed to roosting now instead of sleeping on the floor. Can you try moving that roosting pole so the entryway is clear? I see lots of places there my chicks would love to sleep. Under those nest boxes, on top of them, free corners. The inside of the coop looks good; I agree the entry might be the problem.

 

[milogirly]

I think aart may be right and the chicks don’t want to enter with the older birds right there. You’ve got your ladies accustomed to roosting now instead of sleeping on the floor. Can you try moving that roosting pole so the entryway is clear? I see lots of places there my chicks would love to sleep. Under those nest boxes, on top of them, free corners. The inside of the coop looks good; I agree the entry might be the problem.

I don't know how to change the big girl's behavior, they have always slept in the front of the coop. I tried putting them on the roost bars towards the back for weeks last summer and it never worked. Only 3 of my hens roost, the rest sleep in a pile on the floor (my girls are weirdos). Is there anything I can do change this behavior?

The pullets settle right in under those nesting boxes and, sometimes, they even roost on the back roosts. I have just been putting them in the coop before the big girls go in for the night.

 

[aart]

Corner roosts are often not effective.
I would put a roost and maybe poop board over the nests the entire length of the coop.
Add a ramp at far end of coop up to poop board for ease of getting down as there's not much room to fly down.

 

[milogirly]

Corner roosts are often not effective.
I would put a roost and maybe poop board over the nests the entire length of the coop.
Add a ramp at far end of coop up to poop board for ease of getting down as there's not much room to fly down.

Brilliant! Thank you so much!! I knew something was off, but I didn't know anything about chickens when we built the coop. I will do that this weekend and see what happens.