Yet another question about chickens not returning to coop

[SnowdogHERA]

I have read the forums with regard to this question, and am still befuddled.

I have three chickens, two Plymouth Rocks and one Australorp, who have a very nice coop sized for four. The coop and pen below the coop is clean and there are no red mites. I do not see any evidence of critters either. We have two dogs and three cats who keep the critters away as well.

The chickens have always returned to their coop since I started letting them free range back in late August early September 2017. They like looking in the back fully glassed door and will do so well after dark now (November 2017). The door looks across our living room and we are usually there watching TV or using our computers.

By the time I am ready to shut the door to the pen, two of the chickens have usually gone to the coop inside the pen, and one (PR) stays by the door and never seems to want to go to the coop. The other two will wander back and forth and make noise as if to get the third to come to the coop, but they don't seem to have an issue going into the coop. I have had to pick up the PR and take her to the coop. I have also closed the curtain to block out what's going on inside the house.

So, no critters, no mites, coop is big enough and clean. We live in Northern Maine, and we put in a device that provides light for longer into the night as the sun goes down sooner. The light bulb is a low heat bulb, so shouldn't be putting out too much heat and I don't close the coop door, only the pen door.

Some final details: They were born about mid-May, and they haven't layed eggs yet (at least that we know).

So, is it just curiosity?

 

[member 373180]

Aw, she wants to be a house chicken and see what you're saying about her on BYC

Sorry I have no actual advice

 

[SnowdogHERA]

Well, to tell you honestly, they all seem to want to come inside, especially toward the end of the day. They watch us and peck at the door. It makes for a dangerous minefield when we walk out the back. One, not the one in question, actually came in when we were trying to get our dog to go around them and come in. We figure she is lording it over the others now.

 

[aart]

Did this behavior start when you put the light in the coop?
Is the light meant to induce laying?
Might need to keep them confined to coop and run for a few days to break this habit of window peeping, also might tell you if they are laying or not.
If they are laying, or close to it, their behaviors and the pecking order can shift.

who have a very nice coop sized for four.

What does this mean in feet by feet? Pics would help too.
Good ventilation in coop?

Oh, and, Welcome to BYC!

 

[SnowdogHERA]

Yes, I do believe the behavior started when we put the light in, and yes, it was to provide longer light for laying. I figured they would get used to it like other things. They did start going back in though after a few days.

We used the design "in how to build chicken coops" by Samantha and Daniel Johnson that has the FFA backing. See https://www.amazon.com/How-Build-Ch...88&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+build+chicken+coops.
It has a very good ventilation system, at least as far as I know. I will send picks momentarily.

 

[SnowdogHERA]

Here are some pictures of the coop and one of two of the chickens.

 

[aart]

Coop itself is what.... maybe 4x6'?
Run is 6x10'?
Vents are OK....what is your location?
Roosts are bit funky and may be too small for comfort.
No nest?

Light for laying should not be a heat bulb, and should be on a timer so consistent.
Not sure how you fit light in there.

 

[HoopyFrood]

I have no idea if this will actually help, but at least we have some similar aspects with different outcomes:

• We live in central Maine
• Our girls were hatched May 4th
• We have one australorp, two barred PRs, and two RIRs
• 3 of 5 are not laying (australorp and RIRs) though the second BPR layer only started two days ago
• We raised the chicks by hand in our living room and they slept there for the first 10 weeks
• They can see into our house (where they lived) from the run and the coop entrance
• I have installed a light in the coop but we only use it for human activities, we do not supplement light for laying. So they go into a dark coop at dusk.
• The BPRs are ALWAYS the last to go in the coop, and the alpha is the last. She even seems to do patrols inside the run but...
• They always put themselves to bed, and have done since the first night they were locked in the run.

However we did manually put them in the coop for bedtime for five weeks before that first night they were locked in the run and had to put themselves to bed. The run was under construction during those weeks so they spent all their days in essentially a tractor; we had to carry them by hand between the coop and the tractor each morning and evening.

One the very first night they were locked in the run they HAD to put themselves to bed because 1.) they were locked in the run with nowhere else to go and 2.) we were on a day trip and didn't get home until 10 or 11 PM.

I don't know if that actually helps. But at least it's information you can compare your situation to. Good luck!

P.S. that is a very pretty coop and run! You're far better builders than I am!

 

[chickens really]

I agree...That looks a bit tight....Chickens need lots of space..The minimum posted requirements are usually way off...The bigger the better....If you can?...Better roosts..Also do you have nest boxes?

 

[SnowdogHERA]

Coop itself is what.... maybe 4x6'?
Run is 6x10'?
Vents are OK....what is your location?
Roosts are bit funky and may be too small for comfort.
No nest?

Light for laying should not be a heat bulb, and should be on a timer so consistent.
Not sure how you fit light in there.

The entire coop/pen is 8'x4'. The coop is 4'x3'. The height is about 8', though I forgot to actually measure that. The three roosting poles are fairly thick and at angles and go roughly to the top. The light is a low to no heat bulb and on a timer, and I keep the door to the coop open at night if they need to go out. However, the temps have dropped to the upper 20's lower 30's at night with an occasional higher temp as we are in Northern Maine. I have added some pictures. Know that the pic of the lightbulb makes it look bigger than it is.