rejecting their coop

[RDJJ]

three month old chicks will not enter their coop. this is the same one they have lived in their entire lives, the only difference is that I moved the coop from my basement to the back yard. I tried enticing them with food, didn't work. They huddled up against the basement door and would not even consider the coop. Could not leave them outside all night due to predictors . Finally, 9:15 PM I relented and opened the basement door.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Can you post photos of the setup? While to you the move seems like a minor detail, to an animal that does not do well with change it can be a big deal - so it may be a matter of simply needing time. Rather than moving them back indoors, I would suggest physically placing them inside the coop at the time they would be expected to go in to roost - and, if your setup is one that would be workable for this, you may even want to consider doing a little "coop training" by confining them to the coop for a few days to "re-home" them to it.

 

[Jennn27]

What we did was move ours straight from the brooder to the outside hen house. But, since this isn't an option for you at this point, can you maybe build an enclosed chicken run? This way, you can put the chicks straight in the coop, and then if they decide,"Nope, don't like it" then at least they will be safe from predators in the run. And they may even decide they do still like their coop. lol We have ours set up like that, and when we put ours out they did just the opposite. They stayed in the coop for a week before they were brave enough to venture out into the run! lol Chicks can be funny like that.

 

[Deena Sue]

OMG, I to am having the same problem, last night I went out at 9:00 pm and all the ladies were sleeping in a corner in there run. I scooped them up and put them in the coop. They are 6 weeks old, pretty much all feathered, but we are still having some cold nights so I leave a heat lamp on in their coop. I have been doing this since last Thursday, when I moved them outside.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

OMG, I to am having the same problem, last night I went out at 9:00 pm and all the ladies were sleeping in a corner in there run. I scooped them up and put them in the coop. They are 6 weeks old, pretty much all feathered, but we are still having some cold nights so I leave a heat lamp on in their coop. I have been doing this since last Thursday, when I moved them outside.

The supplemental heat can actually act as a deterrent rather than an attractant to birds in regards to using the coop.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You might read my post in this thread, post #5. What you are talking about is very normal for me when I move mine to my elevated grow-out coop.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/967738/getting-chickens-in-coop-at-night

 

[Deena Sue]

Sweet!! Thank you so much

 

[Cabin Katie]

I had the same problem a couple years ago. I had garbage bags full of cans behind the shed and every night I came back home from work they'd be plopped on top of them!

I solved it by moving them into the coop every night I got back home, they got the memo after a while.

There was really no reason why they should have preferred the garbage to their coop. Been raising chickens for years and it was the first time I ever had that problem. Really baffled me. Looking at them, the garbage, the coop and back to them again and thinking.... What is WRONG with you guys?!

 

[RDJJ]

Ok they have accepted the coop, I used food to encourage them. Now, should I continue to keep food and water in the coop. It has been the source of a terrible mess, they spill everything all over. It would be nice if I could feed and water them only during the daytime hours, outside. Is this ok?

 

[lazy gardener]

Yes. All good chickies go to bed when the sun goes down. They do not get up in the middle of the night for snacks! They won't starve to death between roost time and out of coop time. It will also help prevent rodent problems.