Two Won't Go in at Night

[rehsanipoor]

I have a flock of nine. Six are a few weeks younger and go into the coop at night to roost just fine. Then I have my three girls who are a few weeks older. One (an easter egger) seems to be the babysitter/watch chicken/mama and waits for everyone to go in. The last two are Dark Brahmas and will not go into the coop at night. They sit at the top of a little platform that leads into the coop. My run is not secure enough for chickens at night so for 2 weeks now I have to push them in, then my easter egger follows. What do I do to get them to go in? The coop is 4ft.x 8ft. and well ventilated. The design is below. I've read that some chickens don't like to go into the coop if it's dark so I added some string lights up near the top. I switch them off once everyone is settled to avoid them giving off too much heat. Lastly there are 3 2x4 roosts. I don't know the exact measurements but can check tomorrow. During the day they roost on branches in the run. Should I try to get some branches in the coop? I have an auto door that I cannot use as I don't want these three getting shut out. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I can upload pics if it helps get a better sense of the setup.

 

[citymeetscountry]

I’m sure many will chime in a say your coop is big enough for 8 not 9 but that’s not the point of your post and they seem younger so may not be an issue. How do you have the roosts set up? You said 3 2x4s they may be crowded depending on spacing. I would keep putting them in at night. You didn’t mention how old they actually are but it is a learning curve. Is there a way you could make your run secure enough for them to stay out if they wanted to?

 

[rehsanipoor]

Getting the run secure enough would be tricky and probably not realistic for now at least. The girls who are not going in are 8 weeks. The roosts are a ladder type setup. I will take a picture and try to post tomorrow. I'm wondering if they would be happier with a large branch since that is what they like in the run.

 

[citymeetscountry]

I would just keep putting them up for now they’re still relatively young.

 

[aart]

I can upload pics if it helps get a better sense of the setup.

Pics always help, inside and out.
How old are these birds?

 

[RubelliteRose]

8 weeks old is still a little young to expect them to always go reliably into the coop at night. At that age, they can be like stubborn little kids. I would keep shoving them into the coop at night until they get it. It could be their personalities too. My flock seems to go in their coops in the same order every night with the same 3 girls lagging far behind all the others. We don't have an automatic door so I feel like many nights I am chanting Go to bed, go to bed as I collect the feeders and prepare to close up the coops. They have a secure run for evenings and they do go to bed on their own if I can't get out to bring in the food until after dark.
Your coop is a tiny bit undersized for the standard of 4 sq ft per bird, but our flock can choose between 2 coops and have sorted themselves to 7 birds in a 4x6 coop without bedtime issues

 

[rehsanipoor]

Here are some pics of the roosts. If it would help I could add a big branch in the back, but I'd rather not if it's not going to help. We still need to add on the nesting box.

 

[rehsanipoor]

I forgot to take outside pics. and to take measurements for scale. I'll try to get those up tomorrow.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Your top roost bar looks too close to the wall (you need at least 12" between roost and wall) so you really only have 2 roost bars. How long are they? The ones that aren't going in might not be finding a suitable spot to sit so they're just giving up on going in.

Can you post a photo of the platform the two birds are using for bedtime instead?

 

[Momma-Hen-Misti]

I have a flock of nine. Six are a few weeks younger and go into the coop at night to roost just fine. Then I have my three girls who are a few weeks older. One (an easter egger) seems to be the babysitter/watch chicken/mama and waits for everyone to go in. The last two are Dark Brahmas and will not go into the coop at night. They sit at the top of a little platform that leads into the coop. My run is not secure enough for chickens at night so for 2 weeks now I have to push them in, then my easter egger follows. What do I do to get them to go in? The coop is 4ft.x 8ft. and well ventilated. The design is below. I've read that some chickens don't like to go into the coop if it's dark so I added some string lights up near the top. I switch them off once everyone is settled to avoid them giving off too much heat. Lastly there are 3 2x4 roosts. I don't know the exact measurements but can check tomorrow. During the day they roost on branches in the run. Should I try to get some branches in the coop? I have an auto door that I cannot use as I don't want these three getting shut out. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I can upload pics if it helps get a better sense of the setup.

Your top roost bar looks too close to the wall (you need at least 12" between roost and wall) so you really only have 2 roost bars. How long are they? The ones that aren't going in might not be finding a suitable spot to sit so they're just giving up on going in.

Can you post a photo of the platform the two birds are using for bedtime instead?

Just keep putting them inside until they catch on. You may look to see if they are being picked on by another. If they don't feel safe because someone isn't letting them in the coop or on the roosts, you may have to intervene so the bully will let them come in. You might need to add another area for roosts if the picking continues.

When you initially put them in the coop out of the brooder, did you lock them inside the coop for several days?