My hen hates my coop :(

[Ponypoor]

You state you can't build things but I bet you can build a hoop coop using cattle panels. This might be your best bet to make a light airy place chickens will like.

Put that old tire in it that the hen likes to roost on.

U can do a google search for hoop coop and how to make one.

Btw cold is not the problem, it's more wet and cold, and drafts. I am in Canada and we get -30s and crap loads of snow so know something about winter. Once winter hits your hens will not want to go outside, they will need a place to live where they can move about when it's cold and snowy. If you attach a hoop coop to your existing coop this should provide a run for them.

 

[cherrynberry]

I mean I guess I don't know enough about what a good chicken coop should look like? My friend has like 50 chickens and their coop is sizable but windowless. My primary consideration is the elements and providing a place for them to roost at night (when it is dark anyway) and during blizzards. I tried to conceive of a cozy place when it is 20-30 below zero outside. The minor gaps in the wood should provide enough ventilation (it's not like it's airless in there) and I figured windows would just go against the whole point of shutting out the brutal winter weather and potentially deadly temps when they come. Clearly I didn't conceive of the design right, but the intentions were good. Do you think punching a window would help? It would have to be pretty thick glass. Trying to think of what I can even afford tbh.

Everybody has firsts. I believe the ventilation amount needed per bird is 1 square foot. The amount of space is 4 square feet per bird in the coop and 10 in the run. @aart knows the rest though. I forgot the linear footage needed.

This is a good place to look at coops: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/categories/chicken-coops.12/

 

[peterhill]

Just to clarify for all since I didn't mention it in the original post, the coop is not for the hen (and the friends that I will hopefully soon get her, since that seems to be a big part of the issue) to live in full-time. It is just for the below-zero winter nights and blizzards that we will inevitably get over the course of the winter. Other than that, they have pretty much free run of the place. (Although I may try to figure out a way to restrict them from straying too far into the pastures which is where predators live. Close to the house & the coop, my dog keeps the coyotes and all away.)

 

[Ponypoor]

Just to clarify for all since I didn't mention it in the original post, the coop is not for the hen (and the friends that I will hopefully soon get her, since that seems to be a big part of the issue) to live in full-time. It is just for the below-zero winter nights and blizzards that we will inevitably get over the course of the winter. Other than that, they have pretty much free run of the place. (Although I may try to figure out a way to restrict them from straying too far into the pastures which is where predators live. Close to the house & the coop, my dog keeps the coyotes and all away.)

Once snow is on the ground your hen will not want to roam in the snow. While chickens and other poultry can survive winter fine they need a place to hunker down when it's Storming. I have friend that have peacocks here that roam all year long but they have a huge barn loft to access 24/7.

Who knew chickens were so much work eh?!

 

[aart]

It is just for the below-zero winter nights and blizzards that we will inevitably get over the course of the winter.

If they aren't acclimated to the coop being 'home' they won't likely shelter there when the weather is worse.

Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[DukesDucks]

I think you need to get some more chickens right away for her. From day 1 train them go into the coop at night and shut them in. Hopefully she will eventually join the flock.

You don't need a fancy window. You could probably find a used one, or two, online or at a Restore Store. I'm also in Canada with lots of snow and very cold temperatures. My coop windows are single pane with one that slides up in the summer.

 

[3KillerBs]

I tried to conceive of a cozy place when it is 20-30 below zero outside. The minor gaps in the wood should provide enough ventilation

Here is the information you need to provide appropriate, healthy housing for your chickens in the winter:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cold-weather-poultry-housing-and-care.72010/

 

[Ponypoor]

If they aren't acclimated to the coop being 'home' they won't likely shelter there when the weather is worse.

Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always thet

If they aren't acclimated to the coop being 'home' they won't likely shelter there when the weather is worse.

Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 2888970

Stated Northern Nebraska in the opening comments. So I would say cold, snowy and windy.

 

[Annie7710]

So after losing four chickens to coyotes this past summer (during the daytime when they would range widely into the pasture), I'm down to one hen. She is the "spookiest" one, i.e. always has been the first to run away / least inclined to be picked up, which is probably what kept her alive in the first place. Anyway, I built a coop (well, hired a friend to do it because I am not good at building things) for her and any chickens I may get in the future. I've attached photos of the outside and the inside. It is less for protection against predators - although it does serve that function - and more for protection during the winter. Here in northwestern Nebraska, we are prone to blizzards, and the temperature can get down to 30 below zero fahrenheit, and can stay below 0F for several days in a row.

A friend of mine who raises many chickens nearby told me that to get the chicken accustomed to the coop so that she will see it as "home" and a roosting place, I should put her in there for like a week with enough feed and water to keep her going. That did not go well. I checked on her after a couple days in there and she was clearly unhappy and stressed out, and had plucked out a ton of her feathers. She went back to roosting up in a tire about 5 feet up on the side of my house that we used to use as a flower planter (her favorite roost) and has not been back to the coop since. I have tried leaving her feed and water inside just inside the little door, but she won't even go in for that. And if I take her in there, she tries to escape immediately.

It is clear at this point that she hates it. She has always been a free range chicken, so maybe she just hates being confined? The coop has a couple of raised roosting bars, so it's not a lack of that. And it is a brand-new coop with no other chickens, so I can't imagine it's a mite problem. It's been over a week now since I tried to introduce her to the coop and she is still awfully raggedy looking from the missing feathers. Anyone have any ideas for what I should do? She loves the tire roost (and apparently her flight feathers are fine) but I hate the thought of her out there in a blizzard or -30 temperatures...

Chickens are social creatures, she needs another hen or two. When those hens start using the coop, your other hen will probably follow suit.

 

[natalie327]

I agree with getting more hens and training them to use the coop, and also letting your hen enjoy her tire as she pleases. create a protective awning for it to help her from the elements in it.

I have one wild hen who has always slept in the tree. I tried to train her to use the coop and kept her in there over a week. She hated it and refused to lay eggs. I gave up and let her out, and she then used it to lay her eggs. When she’s gone broody she uses it to incubate her eggs and raise her babies. She sleeps with them in there until she calls it quits on the mothering and she goes back to her beloved tree for bed. Just gotta trust their intuition sometimes Good luck!