Chickens are not returning to nor roosting in their coop at night, and I'm not sure what to do.

[yurty]

I'm sorry if you've already explained this. If you put the new chickens in the coop for several days, where do the old chickens go at night? Mine are still at the stage of the big ones chasing the little ones. Which is fine. Free range, no one gets hurt. But if I put them together in a small space but I don't think that will end well.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'm sorry if you've already explained this. If you put the new chickens in the coop for several days, where do the old chickens go at night? Mine are still at the stage of the big ones chasing the little ones. Which is fine. Free range, no one gets hurt. But if I put them together in a small space but I don't think that will end well.

OP's situation is different - chicks in a new coop.

Short version for your issue, you should split the coop or provide some form of containment to keep the new and old birds apart during integration.

 

[LaFleche]

I'm sorry if you've already explained this. If you put the new chickens in the coop for several days, where do the old chickens go at night? Mine are still at the stage of the big ones chasing the little ones. Which is fine. Free range, no one gets hurt. But if I put them together in a small space but I don't think that will end well.

You can add another roost that is lower for the youngsters to perch on. This way they will have their own and will not have to fight with the adults for roosting space.

 

[Doriss]

For background: Chickens are all 7 weeks old, they moved into their coop on Sunday evening. They were let out into the run on Tuesday morning (3 days ago). Chicken door is set to close automatically around sundown.

So far, I've had to manually pick each chicken up and put it into the coop. Coaxing with treats did not work, and neither did a night light turned on inside the coop before the door closed. When placed in the coop, they chirp a ton, huddle together and almost trample over each other trying to get into a corner, but they don't seem to want to roost (I placed a few perches throughout the coop). With that being said, I worry about them not being comfortable and also about having to manually place them in the coop for all eternity. I have a zig-zag ramp leading to the coop, and I wonder if they can't figure out where they need to go at night? I've seen some of them return to the coop during the day though, so it seems like they understand the system.

Am I just too eager and need to give them more time? Do I need to adjust the door closing time? Do I lock them into the coop for a few days to make it feel more like home? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

A rooster might herd them in.

 

[Cheerio27]

Chicken door is set to close automatically around sundown.

If I set my auto door to close at sundown it locks all the chickens out every time. If it has a time mode, try using that when you let them out again. I set mine about half an hour after sunset bc that's when they seem to go in. Watch them for a couple of days- hopefully they'll go in voluntarily- and you can adjust the time from there.

 

[BDutch]

For background: Chickens are all 7 weeks old, they moved into their coop on Sunday evening. They were let out into the run on Tuesday morning (3 days ago). Chicken door is set to close automatically around sundown.

So far, I've had to manually pick each chicken up and put it into the coop. Coaxing with treats did not work, and neither did a night light turned on inside the coop before the door closed. When placed in the coop, they chirp a ton, huddle together and almost trample over each other trying to get into a corner, but they don't seem to want to roost (I placed a few perches throughout the coop). With that being said, I worry about them not being comfortable and also about having to manually place them in the coop for all eternity. I have a zig-zag ramp leading to the coop, and I wonder if they can't figure out where they need to go at night? I've seen some of them return to the coop during the day though, so it seems like they understand the system.

Am I just too eager and need to give them more time? Do I need to adjust the door closing time? Do I lock them into the coop for a few days to make it feel more like home? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Im curious what you did with all the advice you got and how it’s going now?

Please tell us, or show us, a bit more about your coop. Does it have a lots of ventilation and a window? If not it’s better for their health to go outside into a safe run at least a few hours during the day. I wouldn’t lock them up for more than week and put them manually inside after closing time/around sunset. But possibly its easier to catch them if the run space is really small for the time being.

If you give a little treat (a little scratch, a few mealworms, fine clipped grasses, boiled brown rice) and make a clucking sound, they are easily trained to go inside.

 

[Chicken-President]

I locked them back in the coop for another week and then they started roosting on the top bar around day 3 and 4. I'm glad I didn't only lock them up for a couple of days.

I also got a small light and the first night that they were supposed to go back into the coop I had to herd them a bit, but on the second night, they were all in their roost in time.

 

[Chicken-President]

Ditto Dat^^^....and forget about auto door until they are regularly going to roost.

I followed this advice and around night 3 they started to roost. I waited until 1 week to let them back into the run and it worked like a charm.

 

[MCO]

Why is it important they roost instead of huddle on the floor? Newbie here thanks!

 

[BDutch]

Reasons to prefer sleeping on a roost:

• Less hygienic if they sleep in a nest.
• Need to clean the nest every day.
• Warmer and darker means red mite and maybe other parasites wil like the nestbox over a roost area (I have lots of ventilation and windows where the chickens roost)
• Control of red mite is more difficult. (I attached rolls of ribbed paper to checks 2x a week. Easier to eliminate mites to prevent a difficult infestation.)
• Dirty eggs if hens lay in the same nestbox.