Hi im new to thisBackyard chickens. My question... I free-range my 2 chickens and 3 ducks all day long , and till recently I had no trouble getting them in the pen at night, a little shake of the dish ect. Now the little buggers do not want to go to bed, I tend to there shack daily with new bedding and clean water, and food at night , but no go! .they share the paddock with 2 small mini horses, who are fed at the same time to get them out of the way. can some one help. It is a full moon at present .... maybe that's it..... Deb
For some reason they feel safer and more comfortable elsewhere...I don't think the full moon has anything to do with it. I have christmas lights around my run to provide extra light hours, but the flock is in the coop at the same time as before the lights. Take a closer look at the coop and look for ways to change it up so the birds feel safer on the inside than the outside.
Do a pest/predator check too. Might be scurries in the night that are disturbing them. I thought about borrowing a game camera to see if anything is checking around my coops at night although I've only seen a lost hunting dog lately. Hope you find the problem.
