why won't they go back in?

[clax170]

Four girls. Two Plymouth Barred Rocks, which go in every night (into the coop). One Rhode Island Red and One Americana have stopped going in. Electric door opener starts to close 7:30 p.m. The girls just lay on the perch outside their coop door as it closes and sleep outside.

Why?

I've been going out most nights to put them in by hand. Some nights I let them stay out (thinking with their little chicken brains, I going in there tmrw.) They don't.

Thanks

 

[TwoCrows]

Have you changed anything in the coop? New things are scary. Maybe they are getting bullied in the coop and this will cause them not to want to sleep inside. You might want to go out at bed time and see what is actually going on.

 

[BeccaSmith]

We found that our girls won't go in if it is dark inside the coop. It is dark well before the door closes so we started using a light on a timer so they will be attracted to going into the coop. We also found they won't fly up on their perches if it is dark in the coop so that is another benefit of having the light on for a short time for them so they can see what they are doing. We did have a few get stuck outside tonight and we had to let them in....not sure why they didn't make it in....maybe I need to adjust the timing for the light. Hope this helps some!

 

[clax170]

There is a light on inside. they just squat on the perch and goto sleep. the door will close on them, push them aside and they will still sit there.

no idea.

 

[BeccaSmith]

How long have you had them (how old are they), and have they all been raised together? Maybe they like the perch better that is outside.....can you eliminate it? Maybe they need several nights of making them go in before the door closes.

 

[clax170]

They are about 9 months old. I guess the question is, is it ok to leave them out? They are in a run that is completely covered in chicken wire (floor too), so they are safe from predators. Not sure. Two of them one inside and one outside (sleepers) have had their bottom feather plucked out by another one. We are going to isolate the "bully" and blue kote the two.

quite interesting animals...

thank goodness for this site and all you knowledgable people.


-Craig

 

[dainerra]

chicken wire is for keeping chickens IN, not predators out. there are numerous posts here about predators ripping apart chicken wire to get a the birds inside and it only takes a couple seconds to make a hole big enough for even the biggest coon

 

[SJensen]

I have the same problem with four of my chickens preferring to sleep outside the henhouse. Our coop is enclosed in hardware cloth (predator proof) and is behind the shed so quite sheltered. Is there any harm in them sleeping outside the henhouse? I am on the west coast and it doesn't freeze that often.

 

[gpeppers]

A couple of my chickens have started doing this too. One is the Queen, from the first (year's) batch. There are a couple from the third (year's) batch which have followed suit. It's like they have decided to "camp out" in that it's warm now outside, the roost outside (which isn't really a roost, but the handles to the moveable coop. Think wheelbarrow handles.) is more comfortable, I guess. I'd like to figure out some treatment I can give to these handles (they are two-by-fours on edge) which will make them a) useable as a step, because it's integrated into how they get into the coop, but b) not comfortable enough on the feet to spend much time there. Something like noppy flex birkenstock footbeds? I'm at a loss as to exactly what. I went through the gamut of why. The coop wasn't clean enough? They did it immediately after cleaning. They do it every night. Maybe when the weather gets colder. ?! They do have a light which comes on. They don't seem to care about predators. ONly I do!