My hen hates my coop :(

[chickennuggt]

The coop looks to dark so she might be scared because birds aren't good to see in the dark and also i think she is lonely you should get friends for her and might be traumatized also from her flock died so she needs more chicken friends

 

[cricketisachicke]

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...

Your poor girl! Here is a couple things I can think of. She needs friends ASAP. That is a huge trauma for her that her flock was killed. In terms of the coop I am very concern about the slats of wood to the outside. You should put up some hardware cloth so that small predators cannot get through. I looked it up and you have weasels in your state. These guys can squeeze through 1” chicken wire so that is why 1/2” hardware cloth is a must. Also, do you have a 2-3 ft. hardware cloth apron around the coop so that predators can’t dig under? In, addition you need to get some windows. My chickens love to be able to look out of them. Maybe try giving her her favorite treats in the new coop and sit with her for a few minutes each day. But please turn that chicken coffin (no offense) into a comfortable fortress. She deserves it!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

No.

She's molting.

That's my thought too, molting.

 

[lifein1840]

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.

Chickens are flock animals. They don't like to be alone and are always "chicken" of change in their environment. Your friend is right, she needs to be confined in the coop for at least 3 days, I usually keep them in for 5-7 days, but being alone in a new coop is really, really stressful. I think the best thing to do would be to get some other chickens....though that's really hard to do unless you try getting other chickens from several different sources. If you get, say 6, from the same flock, they will stick together and pick on your girl. I wish you the very best of luck!

 

[jgarner1327]

Please don't take offense, but I think she is a wise girl. I don't think even coop-raised chickens would like that coop.

I see no ventilation other than a few cracks between the wood, and no other light source either. No windows, nothing. It would be like being shut in a closet. No wonder she is stressed and hates it!

Plus, that wood has glue holding the fibers together so the air in there probably has a chemical smell.

 

[Ponypoor]

Chickens are flock animals. They don't like to be alone and are always "chicken" of change in their environment. Your friend is right, she needs to be confined in the coop for at least 3 days, I usually keep them in for 5-7 days, but being alone in a new coop is really, really stressful. I think the best thing to do would be to get some other chickens....though that's really hard to do unless you try getting other chickens from several different sources. If you get, say 6, from the same flock, they will stick together and pick on your girl. I wish you the very best of luck!

Yes I would do that also get 4 or 5 hens from all different sourceses so that they are forced to make a new flock.