They won't go inside at night!!

[Berritt]

I have 8 chickens. They are 2 ages, 9 weeks and 12 weeks.

I put them out in their coop about a week and a half ago. Their coop is house-ish, with an attached run. There is a ramp. I open up their coop, and they go down the ramp.
The first 2 days I was catching them and putting them to bed at night because they wouldn't do it on their own. Then I read, leave them in for a few days to a week, and after that they'll go to bed like good chickens.

I left them in for 5 days or so, opened it up, and they went outside. I patiently waited for nights arrival to see if they'd go in. 2 did, 6 huddled up in a cold chicken pile in the corner of the run. Catching them is a HUGE pain as the coop is oddly designed and there isn't a human sized door. I have to crawl partially in to this midget door and reach for them.

Any suggestions?

 

[persimmongoat]

theyre like human teenagers at those ages, they just like to push your buttons, from raising our chickens theyve done that to us also, a good perch for them to roost at night,feeding schedule, meal worm treats are pretty irresistable,I use a long tree branch and slowly coax them in, chickens are on the bottom of the food chain so their instincts tell them to run if you start chasing them,except for my roo hed stave off a charging t-rex,dont chase after them with patience they WILL start going in at night except for some types of chickens they prefer trees as roosts

 

[toletiquesbysam]

When you want them to go in at night, bring them some treats and walk into the coop and sprinkle the treats inside, you do this for about 1week and they will "get it"!

 

[ChickenLeo]

I had this problem myself and figured an easy fix for it. The first night in their new run and coop my 12 chicks (about 9 weeks old at the time) found an old door that I had yet to take out of the run, leaning against the wall. They huddled under that, rather that going through their pop door. I turned the light inside the coop on and moved each bird in front of the pop door one by one. I then shoved them through and eventually they would get the hint and hop on in.
The next night I turned the light in the coop on, about an hour before dusk and left it on till about an hour after dark. They realized it was getting dark outside and that there was light inside, so they hopped through the door and built a chicken pyramid in the corner. I went out, turned off the light, waited for them to calm down and then lifted them one by one onto the roosts. So, after the first night, they were going into the lit coop, but I had to turn the light off and place them on the roost for several nights. I now, no longer turn the light on and they start heading in when it gets dark. They hop on to their roost and I go out after they are all roosted and sleepy and do a head-count and let my dog do a predator check. I use a flashlight that I shine at the ceiling of the coop, so it is dim and doesn't disturb them. This all took less than a week.
Unfortunately, now I have a barred rock that is insisting on sleeping on top of the nest boxes. It only took two nights to train her sister, but she is being stubborn, so I go out and move her every night. She will eventually catch on.