Roosters Refuse to Go In During Heavy Thunderstorm

[Barry Natchitoches]

I have two 19 week old boys that live in a 20 foot long by 4 foot wide, fenced in area, with a little 4 foot by 4 foot shelter I built with concrete blocks covered with plywood.


It isn't the greatest shelter in the world, but it is the best I can do for them. I just have too many roos, so I have to put them in their own bachelor pad.


Anyway, when it rains, they refuse to go under cover.


Tonight, we had a super heavy rain, complete with LOUD thunder and lightening. It was really scary. My indoor cats hid under the bed, they were so scared.


All the other birds went into their respective shelters when the rain started to pour down.


But not these two roosters. They just stood in the corner of their fenced in area, pressed in as tightly into the corner of their area and as close together as possible. And you could see the fear in their faces.


In the past, I've gone out there and manually put them under their shelter during rain, only for them to run out again. I will put them in there again and again, only for them to run back out. They are quite willing to go under their shelter during hot, sunny days, but they don't seem to understand that they could keep dry under their sun shelter too.


Worst part is that they refuse to sleep under that shelter. Instead, they choose to sleep out in the open, on top of a concrete brick that I'm using to weight the plywood down with.


How can I get them to learn to go under the concrete and plywood shelter where they can keep dry?


Are they safe outside in the middle of a heavy thunderstorm?

 

[artsyrobin]

remember, they can't see in the dark, so they won't move- if it were me, i'd put them in the shelter and block the exit, in time they will consider that home.

 

[catsew]

Mine aren't quite that old and they're in a regular coop, but it took them over 2 weeks to figure out to go back inside. They also would hide under the coop in a corner. But now they go back in, and go in for bedtime as well.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yeah, those animal brains just don't process logic like we do. I've got a dog that just loses it whenever she hears thunder. Instead of going in her dog house, she cowers in a corner, scared silly.

Do you have a roost in that shelter? Maybe if you keep putting them on a roost in there, they will get the message?

 

[stone_family3]

When I still had my roo he refused to go inside. I actually had to chase him back in on several occasions.

 

[Lollipop]

I`ve got a little different take on the subject. Most of my fowl like the rain. It doesn`t hurt them at all. If you think about it, those that roost in trees never get out of the rain. As far as seeing their fright on their faces, might just be the loud thunder. I wouldn`t worry about it. The one thing that would concern me is their exposure to predators, if they stay on the ground at night.......Pop