I am new to this forum and I'm hoping someone can help. I have one silkie hen not returning to the coop. It ts a fairly new coop but she didn't have any issues going in at night in the beginning. I noticed about four days ago that she would be waiting outside the coup in the morning for the ramp to be opened. She doesn't seem to get pecked at except around first rights to food. Even then it isn't anything abnormal. She did this once a few weeks ago and I searched for her to put her in at night. I even left the coop closed for a few days with all the hens in. I thought it had stopped. This isn't a new flock. I just don't know what is going on.
How old is she? I had a couple do this when they were adolescents but stopped after a few weeks of putting them back into the coop.
She will be a year in May. Part of the problem is that I can't get to her where she is hiding. Iwill have to try to catch her before she sets in at night.
I have the same problem. Mine is about 8 or 9 months old. She has been laying outside in the corner of the pen under the coop for about a month. She just started staying outside for about a week now. She has been laying later in the evening too just before dark. She didn't lay tonight. I have been putting her back in the coop at night after the auto door closes. It doesn't close until just after dark so she has plenty of time to get in with all the other chickens. The light comes on in the coop about an hour before dark so there is plenty of light. I don't know what's up with her but it's been way too cold out to not put her in.
My coop has the house part and then a small run off of it with a door I lock at night. I had 2 Roosters and 3 hens. One Roo started to sleep out on the roost in the small run part. After I lost the other rooster ALL of the hens sleep with him outside on the roost. I know the hens are following him since they lost their king but why he started who knows? I leave the ramp door open so they have the option to go in if they want and lay early before I get out to them to let them free range. If you can let her sleep outside but locked in, I am sure that would make her happy. Not sure how you are set up. They go out, in my opinion, to be alone. Sometimes I do not think they all want to be on top of each other...even if it does make them warmer.
We have one that does the same thing--just wanders off at night, then comes home in the morning to get fed. Since she is the pet, we finally moved her into the house to keep her safe.
