Yet another question about chickens not returning to coop

[chickens really]

Lock them in at night...Chickens roost and sleep...no reason to be going out at night...

 

[SnowdogHERA]

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!

That's interesting about the alpha being the last. Ours is also the alpha that goes in last.

One thing I forgot to mention before is I am concerned about the gaps around the access doors (by laying area and across from it) with regard to drafts. I tried towels as was suggested by someone up here, but they got wet in the rains, and may have helped cause warp in one the access doors. If anyone has a suggestion, I am all ears.

 

[SnowdogHERA]

Lock them in at night...Chickens roost and sleep...no reason to be going out at night...

It's only the coop door I wasn't closing due to heat. The pen door we closed. However, I can certainly do that. And also keep them in the pen for a few days.

 

[chickens really]

It's only the coop door I wasn't closing due to heat. The pen door we closed. However, I can certainly do that. And also keep them in the pen for a few days.

I'm sorry but I would add onto that Run area....The bigger the better....

 

[SnowdogHERA]

I'm sorry but I would add onto that Run area....The bigger the better....

Even though we free range them? I have been letting them out in the morning every day so they have about an acre to run around. I plan to snow blow areas during the winter so they have more room, kind of a run in the snow as it were.

And to maybe clarify some things, it was the coop door I wasn't closing "at night" but closing the pen/run area - again at night.

 

[SnowdogHERA]

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?

When you say better roosts, what do you mean?

And if we continue this endeavor, we plan to make a larger coop/pen. I thought it was a little small myself. However, I had always planned to free range them. If we didn't, we would have made a larger run for sure.

 

[chickens really]

Even though we free range them? I have been letting them out in the morning every day so they have about an acre to run around. I plan to snow blow areas during the winter so they have more room, kind of a run in the snow as it were.

And to maybe clarify some things, it was the coop door I wasn't closing "at night" but closing the pen/run area - again at night.

I understood fully...Lock them in the Coop..If well built it should accommodate all seasons

 

[chickens really]

2x4s flat side up....they can lay on them and cover feet better..

 

[SnowdogHERA]

Ok, sorry. I have been having trouble labeling the different parts. From what I have understood in the past, and reading these forums, Coop is the area where the roosts and nests are, Pen could be the smaller outside but enclosed area while Run is a much larger outside area that is most times also enclosed. Though I have seen Pen and Run interchangeable.

 

[chickens really]

Yes...Coop is the house the sleep in...Nest also...Run/pen is the same thing....