Small new flock help

[Shevraeth]

I'm in KS, and my birds put themselves to bed tonight at 6:15ish. I feel like that's super early, but that's how they like it I guess!

 

[Blam59]

Your coop does look like a box; is there any ventilation or windows for light? Is there space for them to get up on a roost and get down?
And chicken wire will not protect them from predators!
Mary

thank you for the advice regarding chicken wire

 

[Blam59]

Whenever it gets dark enough that they aren't going to get back up.

Thank you.

 

[Blam59]

You're saying box. Do you mean the coop? Are there roosts in the coop?

I'd manually put them to bed every night until the get the hang on it.

since the original plan was to move the birds around the yard, I considered the entire A frame structure as the coop. The enclosed area is large enough for the birds. The roosts have plenty of room.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. If you put your location into your profile people can give better-targeted advice. Climate matter, especially when it comes to housing.

I'm sorry, but the enclosed section of your tractor looks small, dark, and stuffy.

Chickens need abundant ventilation. The usual guideline is to have at least 1 square foot of ventilation per adult, standard-size hen. Here's my article on coop ventilation: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

5 hens would need:

• 20 square feet in the coop,
• 50 square feet in the run,
• 5 linear feet of roosts (and enough room to fly up and down at a 45-degree angle)
• 2 nest boxes,
• And 5 square feet of draft-free ventilation.

since the original plan was to move the birds around the yard, I considered the entire A frame structure as the coop.

Unfortunately, A-frames are difficult to ventilate well since the roof is the wall. But if you are in a mild climate you could convert it to an Open Air style coop by removing the siding from the wall that opens into the run section.

 

[TX Chick Noob]

I think better pictures, especially of the interior and full pictures of the entire exterior would help a lot for people to give advice.

 

[Blam59]

We have a new flock of 5, 18 week old hens. The roosting box has never been used so there aren’t any droppings. Our issue is the birds will not go into the roosting box at night. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Update: Monday and Tuesday I placed our birds in the coop and roost bars. The girls have put themselves in the coop without assistance. Thanks to all who provided advice.