Won’t sleep in house

[cityfarmer88]

Our 4 chickens won’t sleep in their house and often lay eggs in the neighbors yard. One of them finally decided she liked the house and even started laying in the nesting box, she became broody for about 3 months then finally broke out of that. We currently have all
Of them locked inside and everyone has been laying again. I’m hoping the home and where they are suppose to is established now because I would like to let them free roam again but am worried they will start to roost in the neighbors tree again and start now laying in the box. What can I do about this ?

 

[HappyHippyChick]

If you want to keep the chickens secure, it would be the best to fence in the chickens and also like an aviary and cover the top. Otherwise, your chickens are going to want to roam and you will not have any control what they will do. They will probably go into the house at night when you also will have a fenced in area.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Do you have pics of your set up?

 

[cityfarmer88]

Do you have pics of your set up?

I need to take some pictures I only have video.. I’m basically wanting to know if that sense we had them locked in their home which includes their run, If two months is long enough to establish that this is where eggs get laid and where they are to sleep. In the beginning only one was laying and sleeping inside the house. I want to be able to let them back out to be free range chickens. I’m just worried that they will go back to old habits such as laying in the neighbors yard and sleeping in the tree.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I’m basically wanting to know if that sense we had them locked in their home which includes their run, If two months is long enough to establish that this is where eggs get laid and where they are to sleep.

2 months is way more than enough time to home them to a coop, but if there's something that's attracting them elsewhere (neighbor has a nice tasty garden and you don't, for example) or discouraging them from using the coop (parasites, pests) they may eventually decide to stay in the area that's more attractive.

 

[BDutch]

If you want to keep the chickens secure, it would be the best to fence in the chickens and also like an aviary and cover the top. Otherwise, your chickens are going to want to roam and you will not have any control what they will do.

This is not true for most free rangers. But because @cityfarmer88 ’s chickens were used to do so it is possible they return to their old unwanted behaviour.

Make sure they return to the coop/run before dusk. Give some scratch in the run about 1 hour before sunset. Chickens learn fast if they get yummy food if you call them.

I can call my flock when they are free ranging and lock my chickens in whenever I want to. If I forget to lock them up in time, a few like to roost in a nearby pear tree from spring till winter. And after sunset they won’t come down anymore.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I need to take some pictures I only have video.. I’m basically wanting to know if that sense we had them locked in their home which includes their run, If two months is long enough to establish that this is where eggs get laid and where they are to sleep. In the beginning only one was laying and sleeping inside the house. I want to be able to let them back out to be free range chickens. I’m just worried that they will go back to old habits such as laying in the neighbors yard and sleeping in the tree.

Video works if you can post it. Video or pics of your coop would be really helpful, because no it's not normal to choose trees and yards instead of the coop. So I suspect something with the coop is not working right for them. It's not true that if they free range they won't come back. Mine have all of Mt. Hood Nat'l forest to free range including neighbors, barns all sorts of places to wander off, yet they come home to the coop to roost without fail every night and they take many trips back to the coop for laying eggs, drinking/eating. In all my years I did have one that made a little nest in the woods to hide eggs but still came home at night. I didn't let her out to range for a week and it solved the problem. So I think 2 months is more than enough time to get it. If no pics, can you explain your coop set up.... ? Roost bars, nest boxes, etc.

 

[BDutch]

Video works if you can post it.

You can't post videos directly like photo's. You need to upload them to Youtube or another provider. When you finished that, you can easily share it here.