leaving the coop

[Garry50]

I have 7 chickens and 2 roosters. The chickens will not leave the coop . I will see the roosters out in the yards ,however the chickens never do.

 

[GuppyTJ]

Gary,

How old are they and how long have they been in the coop? Have you had them long?

I ask because if they're new to that coop, it can take them a few days before they're comfortable enough to leave the safety of the coop. I don't know if you tried the method of homing/imprinting them on the coop. That's where you lock them in the coop for about a week to make sure they understand it's their home and where they should go when it starts getting dark to sleep. This keeps you from having to chase them in every night and also keeps them from trying to roost in trees or elsewhere. In other words, they understand after a week that the coop is home.

Also, younger chicks take a while to venture out of the coop. My bunch are now 12 weeks old but at 6 weeks, they would only venture just outside the front door of the coop. It took them awhile to start roaming around and every day, they seem to venture out a bit farther. Plus, they're still small so my guess is they sense that they're still more vulnerable to air predators, like hawks. Staying close to the coop makes them more safe and they instinctively know this.

One other reason they may not be leaving the coop much and/or not venturing far is they need things to hide under outside the coop. Chickens prefer cover, like trees and bushes and if you don't have any of these, even picnic tables and benches help. Some things they can hide under help them venture outside and farther.

Finally, it's hot where we live so they also prefer shade vs. full sun at this time of the year. I suspect in the winter, they'll seek out the sun to get warm.

If none of this is helpful and you have all these things in place, I'd try feeding them treats outside. Sort of entice them with your table scraps or whatever it is you feed them that they like. This will get them to come out at least a little and help them get comfortable outside.

Hope this helps,
Guppy

 

[Garry50]

thanks for the info. It was them being new. things are going good now.