not wanting to go to bed in coop?

[lowerowe]

anyone help me? i have 4 ladies and they are all unnatural, in a way that they dont want to go to bed in my coop i built them. i have them for three days and everynight i have to go out there after dark and pick them up and place them in the coop myself. everyone is telling me that they are meant to go straight to bed by themselves. they dont! they sit in the corner cuddled up and fall asleep. any help would be great!

1 change i made was two new perches about 30cm above these ones to get them higher than nesting boxes, and i have re done the ramp to flat board and thin runners.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Maybe they are having "chicken pajama parties" and think they are sleeping over.

 

[lowcountrypoultry]

I would keep putting them in there, they will get used to it.

Also try putting them in there when it is all dark so they dont get out of the thing again...

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Three days isn't very long. Chickens are creatures of habit. Just keep putting them in there at dusk and they will eventually get the idea and go in there on their own. Just be persistent, same time every night.

 

[mtnhomechick]

You could try a light in the coop. We went through this with every wave of chicks we had.

A few more nights and they will "Get It"

 

[tazcat70]

I have a little silkie rooster that is a little strange in the head, every night I have to go and get him and take him into the coop.

He just beds down by the side of our house. This way he is sleepy and I get to love him up.

He is gorgeous, but walks in circles. He does call to the girls if he finds something yummy, and warns (when he can see them) of any "predators", his crow is so cute, but that is about as far as his manly duties go.

 

[aiwetir]

i don't want to go to bed in the coop either

 

[mcg30_40]

I have approx 25 RIRs that won't sleep in the coop. As many as possible sleep in the dog house and the ones that won't fit roost on top of the fencing. I'm not going out and putting all of them to bed every night. I figure when it gets cold enough they will figure it out on their own. They go into the coop to eat and lay eggs so they only like one more step to sleeping in it...lol

 

[AussieSharon]

I had to pick mine up for over a week and put them in the coop at night. They finally got the hang of it.

 

[mcfarlandteresa]

I have about 25 various ones that will NOT go into the coop after I let them free range. I have an old upright freezer that the hens, 1 rooster, and 1 guinea roost on EVERY night. The others fly into a tree. But I've got about 25 babies that all go back to the coop when I herd them in just before dark.

And to make matters worse my hens have quit laying in their usual spot so now we are egg hunting again.

I hate to permantely pen them up and they refuse to lay in the pen. Does anyone have any ideas on how to fix this? I'm fixing to buy a 6' fence to put to pen them all up since winter is nearly here.