New girls wont leave coop.

[MEMama3]

I have a coop that is raised 2' from the ground. Two of my birds fly from the doorway and two use the ladder provided. I just got two new hens yesterday. They didn't goin with the others last night which I didn't think was too odd. I put them in myself. This morning when the old girls came out, the new ones stayed in. Should I move them or just let them figure it out. They have water in the coop, but no food. Neither has laid today. Should I let them stay put until they have a chance to lay and then bring them out?

 

[Judy]

Since there is no food inside I would probably take them out, but if there were, I'd say just let them work their pecking order out on their own, which may take days or even a few weeks. Since you just got them they will probably not lay for a while, anyway, unless they lay one or two that were already on the way out.

 

[MEMama3]

I don't think it's a pecking order issue. They got along just fine yesterday. I think it's the fact that they are use to a large shed only a few inches from the ground, not a raised coop.

 

[Ridgerunner]

It could be pecking order but is more likely that chickens don’t like change. Some are a lot more adventurous than others, but it’s not unusual for them to be really slow on exploring new areas.

Each chicken is different. I normally open the pop door on my grow-out coop at 6 weeks. It’s about 2 feet off the ground. I have had groups of chicks where practically all of them were on the ground within 15 minutes. I’ve had groups where it took three days for the first one to venture out.

I agree with Judy. If they had food inside, go grab a dish of vanilla ice cream, put some blueberries or raspberries on it, and enjoy while they work it out. But since they don’t have food, it might be a good idea to put them out. But plan on having to put them in the coop each night for a while until they decide it is home.

Since they are of laying age and may lay any day, I’d be real tempted to figure out a way to feed them inside the coop so they are near the nests when they feel the urge.

Good luck!

 

[MEMama3]

It worked itself out. They both laid beautiful eggs within minutes of each other then went out to join the flock. Guess they knew they had an egg on the way and didn't want to waste the trip lol.