Stand off in the coop!

[Lolas mom]

Hi All -
It's a long story, but we had a chicken adopt us... She got out of an (then) unknown neighbor's yard and made our yard her own. Found the owner (after a few weeks) and they said we could keep her since we liked her so much. We built her a coop and run and knew she needed some friends. She is a blue andolusian and is great, but didn't want to get in her new coop at all! So, yesterday I got two Barred Rock pullets (about 4 months old and about the same size as Lola) and put them in the run attached to the coop. Lola was extremely curious and just kept circling the enclosure. The original owners (who are awesome) had said if we needed help with getting her in the coop to call. I called. We waited until she was roosting in her favorite tree and we put her in the coop. The two barred rocks were roosting on an impossibly small rafter in the ceiling of the coop. Lola was out of it and roosted on the bar I put in which is lower than the rafter. Here is the problem - They are still in their roosting spot and it is 10:00 in the morning. Lola was usually up and about when I get up at 6:00. I don't know if she isn't letting them down or what the deal is! They all seem like they want to get down, but won't - what do I do?

 

[sourland]

There is always an adjustment period when chickens are moved to a new home and added to an existing flock. Have you tried tempting them down with feed. Understand that there will probably be some skirmishing as they work out the pecking order - think 'mean girls in high school.'

 

[Lolas mom]

Thanks Sourland -
I put Lola's all time favorite (bananas) down with the feed and she has not budged! I knew there would be some difficulty, but I didn't think she would hold them hostage from food and water at the top of the coop! I hope they work it out quickly!

 

[aart]

How big is the coop(feet by feet)?
How high are the places they are roosting?

A high roost in a small coop can be detrimental to flying/jumping down from the roost without crashing into the wall.

Lola is probably very stressed from having been captured and put in a coop(I'm assuming that this is the first time she's been in the coop and has just been wandering around you yard?)

The others are stressed from being moved also.

 

[Lolas mom]

Thanks Aart-
The coop is about 5ft x5ft and is about 5 or so feet tall. The top rafter which I didn't think they would ever fit into or on is at the highest point in the roof (its like an A framed roof and they are roosting on the support part of the A). They have gotten down now, but it was a little tense for a while!
Lola was very interested and acted like she wanted to get into the run with them last night, but she won't let us (or we aren't good at it!) pick her up so I tried to coax her into the coop with food. She was having none of it. For a chicken with a supposed "bird brain" she is pretty wise. She was asleep and out of it when she was moved in there last night. The new girls (my daughter just named them Delany and Delilah - we will see if those names stick!) seem to be a little freaked out and hanging out under the coop in the run. Lola is under there with them and they seem to be getting along.
I guess we will see what the rest of the day brings!
Thanks for your help all!

 

[Lolas mom]

At the risk of sounding like a nervous first time mom... The girls were fine all day going in and out of the run (and up to the coop - haven't let them out of the enclosure yet) with no issues. I was worried about what would happen at roosting time tonight. I now completely understand where the term pecking order comes from! The new young girls were trying to get on the roosting bar I installed which is about 2 1/2- 3ft above the floor of the coop. Lola was on the roosting bar and every time one of the new ones would get up on the bar with her (there is plenty of room - its 5 ft long), she would go over and either nudge them off or peck at their feet until the fell off. No idea she was that mean! One finally made it up to the rafter again (which is a good 18 inches higher) and then the other new one made it up to the rafter. Lola is not pleased about them being higher than her (I'm guessing - I don't speak chicken yet... just judging by her attitude and body language). So, here is my question - the rafter was never intended to be a roost - I honestly didn't think a chicken could fit up there - let alone 2! Should I fill that rafter with wood (it would be the hole in the A frame) or should I just let it be and see what happens. I have read that the roosts should be the same height so they don't fight.
Thanks for any ideas!

 

[aart]

We were all nervous and inexperienced first time chicken keepers at one time, you don't know until you know

I would block off that high roost, just because it must be hard for them to get up and down in that small of a coop without injury.

Maybe put another roost and right angles and at the same height or a tad lower to the main roost.

Or....you could put a wall/barrier on/across the main roost. I've seen this done, it blocks line of sight between two birds or groups of birds.
Not sure if and how this would work in your coop, if you post pics of inside of coop I could help figure it out.

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome to Backyard chickens, hope you enjoy it as much as we do.