rearranged coop now - chickens wont go in at night

[tresler]

Please help - i have a large enclosed coop (see pic) and it did have a big wire dog kennel in it originally to hold a heat lamp and it was their first home. Now that the chickens are getting big (3mths old), i pulled the dog carrier out and put milk crates (lined with straw) for them to lay on top of or in, plus two nesting boxes and a ladder for them to roost on. they never really slept in the carrier anyway - just on top of it and i keep the pop door open for ventilation since it is fairly secure.

They used to trot right in at dusk and bed down - now i have to grab them and force them to go inside the sleeping quarters. I want them out of sight of predators but i also want them to use their space once they start laying eggs. i kept checking their interior mornings and found no poop so i know they weren't sleeping in there. At dusk, one will go in and right back out, then another in and out.. its like they hate the new arrangement. Should i just keep stuffing them in there and closing the door till they get the idea or will they eventually start staying indoors when they are older and want to lay eggs???

 

[aart]

Lock them in the updated coop for a day or two....or a week. They'll get used to it and start to think of it as home...takes 'em awhile to adjust to changes.

 

[Judy]

Just be sure they aren't avoidig it because it is too hot. You don't say where you live, but if it is summer, a small enclosed coop might be too hot for them. 100 degrees F can be lethal to chickens.