Trouble with cooping

[msswede1]

I have spring chickens that have made it a habit to roost in the rafters at night instead of going into the coop with the fall hens. How do I get them to go into the coop at night instead?

 

[21hens-incharge]

We will need more info..
The fall hens are the older ones?
How many in the coop and how many in the rafters?
How big is the coop?
How much roost space is there in linear feet?
What breeds are they? Some tend to be more bossy then others.

Pics always help.

 

[aart]

Great questions from 21hic.....also how long has this been going on?

 

[msswede1]

12 older fall hens, 12 new spring hens. The coop is about 6 ft x 12 x by 8 ft tall

 

[aart]

older fall hens

This is confusing, how old are the birds in months?

Are the rafters in the coop or another building?

How much roost space is there in linear feet?
What breeds are they? Some tend to be more bossy then others.

How long have the birds been living together...if ever?

 

[msswede1]

Same building, but not in the coop. 12 black australorps and 12 silver laced wyandottes. We have plenty of roost space, and even a rafter in the coop that the australorps don't use. Silver laced are 6 months and australorps are a year.

 

[aart]

How did you integrate the younger birds?

I'd guess that the youngers are not allowed to roost with the olders.
It's often best to put up a separate roost for younger birds.

Each bird needs about a foot of roost length,
maybe more if they have to fly up to roosts.

6x12 might be a bit tight for 24 birds.
Pics of coop inside and out might help us help you find a solution or spot a problem.
You might have to block off the rafters.

 

[lazy gardener]

Where are the rafters these pullets are sleeping on? Your coop is a bit tight on space, and it may be an issue of the older birds not allowing the youngsters to join them. Roost time is when pecking order can be most brutal.

 

[msswede1]

The silver laced like the rafters. There is a rafter in the coop. The australorps won't go up there. There are other roosting places in the coop. The rafters we want them down from are the rest of the barn, outside the coop. LOL I'm just guessing at the size of the coop.

 

[aart]

I'm just guessing at the size of the coop.

Tape measure can take care of that
I can't imagine a household without one, but maybe.