New Coop

[emsevers]

Ok I just built my chickens a brand new coop and I put it in our side yard. The old coop is in the back yard. I had to move them from the backyard because the mess was becoming unbearable. So now that I've tried to move my chickens to their new coop they are not taking it so well. My silkie fought hard trying to get back to the old one I eventually had to completely lock them in. This morning I went out to check on them and see if they had any eggs and I found that one of them had laid in the gravel.

I have this nice beautiful coop with great nesting boxes and they are just not having it. So do you think they will ever get used to the new coop and lay in their new pretty boxes? Is there anything that I can do to encourage them?

 

[Buster]

Lock them in the new coop for a week. This will let them get adjusted to it and they will settle in. Do you have pics of your new coop? I'd love to see them.

 

[treehouse]

I do not have any answers would like to know myself but I have a question, how old are they? How long have they been in that coop?

 

[phalenbeck]

Buster has it. Mine oldest have moved 3 X in the last year. When they went from the 'tractor' to the coop/shed I would find them where the tractor was at dark. Chickens, like people, some more than others, do not like change. I to had to do a 'lock in' for a few days. I certainly hate moving too, and in fact prefur not leaving the house.-----------In fact last time they made me leave the house some medical guy called me Agarophobic (spelling incorrect) and when I went home and found it means hates or refuses to go out. Stupid Doctors.

 

[emsevers]

I will have to get pictures. It's nothing like some of the beautiful coops on here, but I'm pretty proud of it. Way better than the last coop.

They've been in the last coop for about a year. It seems like my silkie is have a really hard time with the move. My other three Red Stars are adapting well. I check on them periodically throughout the day and they've been in the coop a couple of times so I think they will make the change ok. Actually 2 of the 3 red stars actually laid their eggs in the nesting boxes later today. The one that laid by the fence, I found out later today had a little clutch of eggs hidden in the straw pile that I found today. I thought she had stopped laying. There were 6 eggs in a little nest. It's weird that she was doing that because up to this point she had been laying in the nesting boxes just like the others. Crazy chickens.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Sounds like she was trying to go broody on you. Laying up a stash and getting ready to set.
I agree with Buster. Lock them in the new coop until everyone's learned to call it home and laying in the nest boxes of the new coop.

 

[mmtillman]

True...there are alot of beautiful coops on here ...we just built a brand new one from a plan we found on-line...
But... I have to admit, I am just TOTALLY impressed with so many of the COOL coops I have been seeing here on BYC !!

....coops made from recycled items and stuff that folks just literally pulled out of dumpsters.
You all are soooo

creative and such an inspiration!!!
Hubby and I had already planned our brand new coop when I discovered BYC...Had I found you all at BYC sooner , I would have done our coop entirely different!
You should be very proud of your coop...Just another example of the industrious people at BYC!!! WELCOME!!!

 

[emsevers]

Almost all the wood we used on my coop was from a construction site down the road. They had a huge pile of wood that no one was using.

I'm not completely finished yet. There are still a few finishing touches that I need to add, but I'm proud of it. With my last coop the roosts were terrible. They didn't even use them because the space was too cramped. They slept on top of their nesting boxes which made them a huge mess. This is soooo much better.

I think I'm going to have to lock them in the coop again tonight. My silkie has escaped back into the backyard even though I thought I'd blocked all the exits. We'll see how it goes tonight.

 

[thedeacon]

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[treehouse]

I love the color looks like a very similar color to my "coops in progress" I too used construction site throw aways