One chicken won't go in the coop... any design change suggestions?

[aart]

Good Move!

 

[sarahsunshine]

They were all in the coop last night!!! WOOHOO!!!!

The last hold out had an injured leg, and would only go in the coop to lay. Last night she was in the coop when I checked on them! WOOHOO!!! It's warmer there (and safer).

 

[chynasparks]

I too had a design issue. My hubby built a great coop. 4x8x6ft high. 2 levels. Enclosed roost /nest box upper level enclosed. There is a ledge before the before the wall of the nest area. The chickens can sit up there and I thought it was cute they would do that until I realized my 4 peeps wanted to huddle up there instead of go inside to roost. I had to go in and put them in the roost area. They would stay after being put in. What was I going to do about that space. If the sleep there they sleep in their poop, yuk! We couldn't rebuild it, although it wouldn't have been hard for hubby to move the wall. He actually used wood screws in many places in case we wanted to change something. Instead I went junk store hopping. I found the perfect decoration for that area. I found a shelf made of plywood, a decorative piece with little shelves shaped like a barn. Even has I little barn roof like shingles. I love it. I secured it in that space, and that might all 4 went straight into the roost! Yeah! And it looks so cute. It was wasted space creating a probłem and now it looks like I did the girly thing and made they coop look like home. I also found chicken curtains and hung the swag part over the roost entrance. I found a place mat with a pic of roster and put that up. Now my girls house looks girly. And they go to roost by themselves now.

 

[sarahsunshine]

Good idea.

Maybe I will try a low roost for the girls on the ground so at least they aren't sitting in their own poop. These are the two (I think) with messy bums. They are molting too, which doesn't help with messy bums either...