My chickens will not go to roost!

[Tallman]

I have never had this problem. My chickens will not go back inside after being in the yard on free range. Every group of chickens that I have ever had would just go back to their roost at sundown, and all I had to do was to go out and shut them in. Not this bunch. I have to go out at sundown and drive them in, and that's a job. It takes two of us. I turn on the light inside and everything. Any ideas before I butcher the whole lot and start all over?

 

[sandypaws]

i had this problem with my cochins....
i didnt have a light on inside tho.. are you sure it is not the light bugging them???
my cochins... every night for 2 weeks i would wait untill it got good and dark and then pick them up one at a time and place them INSIDE.. wow it was a pain-in-the-rear.. they finally learned

 

[gritsar]

Lock em in the coop, for at least a week.
The first time you let them out do so in the evening, an hour or two before sundown. Increase the amount of time they're out as you go along.

 

[carress]

I had the same issue with my birds a few months back. Eventually, I just left them inside for a few days at a time - I did this several times 4-5. They go in fine now (knock on wood).

Some people suggest going into the coop witha treat at sundown to entice them in.

 

[Tallman]

Quote:
My roosting area for my 17 Wyandottes is about 8' by 10'. Then there is another building built on the east side of this roosting area, and that is where their nesting boxes are. The area of this building where they nest is about 10' by 10'. Aside from these two areas inside they have a run outside of about 5' by 15'. They have been shut in this area ever since I bought them from a hatchery last May.

About a month ago, I had some kind of a critter getting into their pen, and I lost three birds before I figured out the problem and fixed it; however, they didn't want to go back in at night before this invader started bothering them either. Now here it is a month later, and I turned them out this evening for the first time since my critter problem, but it's still the same old thing. They don't even try to go back in. They will not even congregate around the door at sundown. They are all around the chicken house, and out in the yard.

Questions:

When you say I should shut them in, do you mean that I should not give them access to the run or do you mean to free range?

Will driving them in get them to the place where they can do it on their own?

Is there much of a market for dumb Wyandottes?

 

[gritsar]

We had some problems getting my chickens coop built. As a result, they were 5 months old and used to roosting in a pen on the screened porch at night. They would free range all day, then all line up at the porch door at dusk.
Once we moved them to their coop they still wanted to roost on the porch.
I'm talking about locking them in the coop, no ranging at all. With mine it took two full weeks to re-train them to their new coop. I think it took so long because they were already so conditioned to the porch. I've read most people have good luck with locking them in the coop for a few days, a week at most.
You'll have some seriously ticked off chickens during lockdown, but it's the only way I found to get it thru their little heads.

 

[Tallman]

Quote:
Okay, gritsar, I'll close the door to their run and just keep them in the building for a few days. I especially like the part of your post where you said that I'll have some seriously ticked off chickens. I'm ready for them to get as ticked off as I am.

Gritsar, this works, I'll put you in my will.


hehehehehehehe - I just went out and shut the door to their outside run.

 

[sutphindanesnchickens]

newby to chickens and had the same problem with 11 of them so i imagine you can guess how long it took me but i built a coop and they wouldnt go in it...so i locked them in for bout 6 days straight til they were stir crazy them let them out in the dog kennel and havent let them out to free range til i know they will go in and out faithfully which its been bout a week in the kennel so we'll see if they get let out to poo on my decK LOL