Is it bad to lock my hens out of the coop??

[AllenK RGV]

I would just let them decide what they want to do..

I'm with you there I collaborate with mine. When they were younger they just wanted to hide in the grass in their pen for about the first month outside so we decided to let the run grass grow. Later in life we weren't as collaborative because they turned into porch monkeys! We did strike a deal on that one by never feeding on the porch and moving the feed location to the driveway under the deck. They still are porch monkeys though when their crops are full and they want to snooze, but there are significantly fewer gifts to be found by the dogs on the porch now.

I'm sure by spring when the bugs are back they will find the run uninteresting and move on.

 

[Just4chicks]

Thank you all for your help!!

 

[azygous]

I learned decades ago that a prey animal knows better than we do when and if danger is lurking. I was cat sitting, and it was my bedtime and the cat wanted out, but was taking her sweet time about going out the door. It was summer and hot and mosquitoes were just looking for an opening to buzz into the house to torment me, so I gave the cat a nudge and shut the door.

Next morning, the cat was gone. Into the bellies of waiting coyotes. I felt awful knowing I had shoved the cat out to its doom.

Chickens have eye sight acuity that you and I come nowhere close to enjoying. There could be a predator lurking out of sight, but your chickens will see it. They know it's there, and if you insist on forcing them out of the coop, you may be making it possible for another attack. Hawks do hang around in the immediate area of a prior attack to see what they can pick up.

Your chickens were traumatized, and they will get over it in time. Be patient.

 

[chickens really]

I learned decades ago that a prey animal knows better than we do when and if danger is lurking. I was cat sitting, and it was my bedtime and the cat wanted out, but was taking her sweet time about going out the door. It was summer and hot and mosquitoes were just looking for an opening to buzz into the house to torment me, so I gave the cat a nudge and shut the door.

Next morning, the cat was gone. Into the bellies of waiting coyotes. I felt awful knowing I had shoved the cat out to its doom.

Chickens have eye sight acuity that you and I come nowhere close to enjoying. There could be a predator lurking out of sight, but your chickens will see it. They know it's there, and if you insist on forcing them out of the coop, you may be making it possible for another attack. Hawks do hang around in the immediate area of a prior attack to see what they can pick up.

Your chickens were traumatized, and they will get over it in time. Be patient.

Awesome reply...My Cat will stay in the garage and close to the House when the Coyotes are close...Animals know better than we do...

 

[GC-Raptor]

We've had enough nicer days to prove that the cold isn't why they're staying in the coop. Today we're supposed to get up in the 50s but they're still wanting to go back in the coop.

It may be in the fifties, but if the wind is blowing, my hens will be in or under the raised coop to be sheltered from the wind, even if it's just a breeze. GC

 

[Just4chicks]

I learned decades ago that a prey animal knows better than we do when and if danger is lurking. I was cat sitting, and it was my bedtime and the cat wanted out, but was taking her sweet time about going out the door. It was summer and hot and mosquitoes were just looking for an opening to buzz into the house to torment me, so I gave the cat a nudge and shut the door.

Next morning, the cat was gone. Into the bellies of waiting coyotes. I felt awful knowing I had shoved the cat out to its doom.

Chickens have eye sight acuity that you and I come nowhere close to enjoying. There could be a predator lurking out of sight, but your chickens will see it. They know it's there, and if you insist on forcing them out of the coop, you may be making it possible for another attack. Hawks do hang around in the immediate area of a prior attack to see what they can pick up.

Your chickens were traumatized, and they will get over it in time. Be patient.

Thank you! I still have so much to learn about chickens! That's just the thing I wanted to know, if they are smart and cautious/ aware of danger or just stubborn needing a nudge now and then. I definitely agree with animals picking up on much more than we do. I can do patient as long as they need, so long as I know it's in their best interest. Thank you again for your perfect answer to questions I don't think I explained well.