new coop..chickens don't want to use it

[wildwestcoast]

Hi all, so I got the new coop/run built and the new girls have arrived. they don't want to go in the coop! the attached run is fairly small and I figured that when dusk approached they would go it as they had nowhere else to go haha. they had gone up the ladder and peered in but that is about it. then they started to panic a bit as it got darker and trying to fly up and against the walls of the run so I figured they were just new and confused. I went in and caught each one and gently placed them in the coop on a roost and shut them in. next night..same thing. only they hid from me under the coop where I couldn't reach them (of course they did) eventually I got them all in there. I let them out this morning and I'm just wondering..will they get with the program? is this normal? do I just keep doing this forever? haha has anyone else gone through this?

 

[getaclue]

You are not alone. This has happened to others. IF you can, leave them inside the coop 2-3 days. That way they will get familiar with it, and it won't be intimidating. After the 2-3 days, let them into the run. They should return to the coop in the evening on their own unless they're too young, in which case you will have to help them a few nights, or if it's too hot in the coop. There are times in mid summer when the temps are high, that mine will sleep out in the run.

 

[wildwestcoast]

GENIUS!! The light trick worked like a charm! Many thanks!!!

 

[getaclue]

Don't sweat the ladder/ramp thing. I raise a heavy breed of large fowl. My roosts are not very high up, but I had to treat one of my big roosters for bumblefoot. I decided to put in a ramp for them to get on, and off the roosts easier. Keep in mind, these are fully grown birds, not youngsters.

For the first couple nights, they would not even go into the coop with the monster that was going to eat them. It was summer, the run is enclosed, so not a big deal. For 2 days, I would put each one on the monster that was going to eat them, and while holding them with my hands, walk them up, and down the ramp a couple times. On the third night, they decided that they might live if they ran real fast past the monster that would eat them, and jump up onto their roost. A couple more times, I put the rooster on the monster that would eat them, walking him up, and down the ramp. I figured the hens would probably follow him. For the rest of the week, they ran past the monster that would eat them, jumped up on their roost, and lived.

At that point, I didn't care if they used the ramp, or not. I stopped trying to coax them, or train them to use it. About 3 days later, when I went out to feed them, lo and behold the rooster walked up the ramp onto the roost, followed by a hen. They stood on the roost to watch me. The following day, they were all using the ramp.

 

[Cryss]

Put them in tonight. Do not let them out for a few days to a week. Put food and water in with them in the morning, take it out at bedtime. The idea is they don't know where their home is. After they spend a week inside this will imprint them with the idea that this is their safe place. They will soon be going inside before it gets too dark.

 

[Celticdragonfly]

For the first couple nights, they would not even go into the coop with the monster that was going to eat them. ....

That was a great story!

 

[Criticalicious]

Chickens are funny about new things in their coop. They're scared to death of it, won't touch it, run screaming in terror... until they're not.

 

[PirateGirl]

How old are they?

Try putting a light in the coop around dusk. A flashlight will work. Wait a bit until it’s darker. Hopefully since they can see inside their scary new coop they will head in and you won’t h e to chase them. You can then lock the door behind them and remove the light. After about a week of this they should get with the program and you will no longer need the light.

 

[Mrs. K]

try putting a light - such as a flash light in there, just before dark. Sometimes that is enough. This is a pretty common problem at first, block off the under part so you are not scrambling to get them (been there).

Sometimes if you put a box on it's side, they will all huddle in the box, making it easy to pick them up and put the box in the coop. Usually a couple of times of waking up in the coop is all you need.coop is all they need to figure it out.

 

[chkva]

I lock my chickens in the coop for a few days with a light/food/water to let them know that's home. After that I let them out and usually at night they go in because they've established that as home. I have solar lighting outside the coop because there's always that one who tries to stay out later than the rest and sometimes it still doesn't go in.

If you wait until it's dark, you can grab them and put them in. Usually they won't freak out or fuss because at night they're completely defenseless since they can't see as well. I do this with my younger chicks if they forget to go in and they freak out less or panic less when there's no light.