My pullets think the coop floor is LAVA! 🙄

[ShannaES]

Mine girls did the same thing when I put sand in the run, lol. It took three days before they would set foot in there.

 

[ChickyCh00k]

Mine girls did the same thing when I put sand in the run, lol. It took three days before they would set foot in there.

They're so smart in some ways, and then in others...... not so much

 

[NatJ]

I switched the litter substrate on floor of the coop yesterday from hemp to Sani-Care (it's hardwood, but the consistency of sand, and their run is actual sand). These chickens REFUSE to go into the coop now, and if I make them, they squawk like they're being murdered and jump onto the roost. I tried putting treats in there, and I tried closing them in the coop for a bit. They just freaked.

Last night, I manually placed each one in the coop, they immediately jumped onto the roost, and they refused to come off the roost this morning (I had to take each one down).

Just to check the obvious-- have you felt it with your hand to make sure it is not poky or otherwise uncomfortable for them to stand on?

(They are probably just upset because it is new, but if they are this determined, I think it's worth checking if they have an actual reason to be upset.)

 

[ChickyCh00k]

Just to check the obvious-- have you felt it with your hand to make sure it is not poky or otherwise uncomfortable for them to stand on?

(They are probably just upset because it is new, but if they are this determined, I think it's worth checking if they have an actual reason to be upset.)

Thank you for thinking outside the box! Sani-Care is very, very soft. Much softer than the hemp in fact. I can't think of anything that would cause them discomfort (other than the newness, of course).

 

[o2bgreenntx]

The picture this put in my head!

Thankfully they did go into the coop and were roosting when I got home after dark. Although, I shutter to think of what that scene looked like.

I suppose that's the most important thing, that they're still going in at night. They have a few months before they reach POL, so I the only reason they're in the coop right now is to sleep. I'll not be changing litter so abruptly in the future though! #LessonLearned

Since they had no audience to play to, I'm sure they calmly walked in, did their bedtime rituals and went to roost!

 

[ChickyCh00k]

Since they had no audience to play to, I'm sure they calmly walked in, did their bedtime rituals and went to roost!

You're probably right!

 

[KyCoop]

This also happened to my pullets when I placed them in the coop for the first time after they fell asleep in the run.
The big girls jumped down in the morning and went out. The little girls were still on the roost looking curiously at the floor unsure about the pine shavings (hot lava) they had never seen before.
I threw some shavings around to show them it was a solid floor that they could walk on it. They have been fine ever since.