One bird that doesn't like going into the coop at night...

[artemis]

Suggestions?  


I give my birds their pellets before I retire at night, up in the coop.  Everyone comes running upstairs and I shut things down for the night.  


Except sometimes one of the buff Orpingtons refuses to come up.  She hides herself under the coop proper until I leave.  Always the same one, Eowyn (I knew there was a reason to band them...)  Or she'll come up momentarily and scoot down the ladder before I can get around to the other side to shut the door.  Last night I just left her out.  


I will be blocking off underneath the coop, with some temporary setup. but any suggestions for getting them up and in there?  


I read that if one has a light on up in the coop, the birds will be attracted to go there, but the difficulty is that I retire by 8 pm most nights, and right now it is still very light due to Mama Nature out there.  Plus the ground leading to the coop is uneven and I have bad knees and prefer, even with a flashlight, not to do the shut down in the dark.  

Eowyn does not seem to be picked on by the other birds.  They are all at this point still cooperative with each other.  She's not a different size than the other two Orpingtons, either.  


Thoughts or suggestions?   

[Sylie]

mealworms....I shake the bag and they all come running. I would give them mealworms a time or two to teach them what they are what the bag sounds like and from then on, shake the bag to get them into the coop, toss a handful on the floor to keep them busy while you go around the other side to close the run door before they finish eating them. That is my suggestion Someone else may have another idea.

[seminolewind]

I have had a few over the years that preferred the outdoors instead of the coop. The funniest one was a SLW who would sit up on a pen roof and I would come to lock them up and say loudly "get to bed"! and she would jump down and meander inside. It was like that every night.

I would first check her health and also see if she is thinner than the others. Sometimes a hen will do that for health reasons. Sometimes all it takes is a separate perch inside the coop. I've had a few who slept in the pen itself (enclosed) rain or shine. I had one who hid in a tree. Both were not picked on. Hiding under a house does not sound as good as up higher somewhere.


Is this a new behavior?

[artemis]

Thanks... They actually got their first mealworms last night, and I don't think Eowyn got a chance at them because she was just not coming up. I will have to do something to let her/them know the mealworm treat is coming!


Seminole, I love the bird of yours who heard you say "get to bed" and obeyed!


There are three rows of perches inside (see the description of the coop on the coop thread area), so plenty of space for her to be private inside. 11 birds. Eowyn is one of three buff Orpingtons, and she's the same size and apparent weight as the other Orpingtons, so she seems as healthy as them.

(Birds were born/hatched May 6th or 7th, if this helps.)

[chickenqueen]

I physically put mine until they go on their own.I know right now,everybody goes in later because it's light longer and so hot in the coops.And it's too hot to go chase chickens.Shake the bag and tell them it's time for bed,repeating the same phrase each might.Chickens learn through repetition,A LOT of repetition and some learn quicker than others.They will also learn following the others.Good luck!!!

[Sylie]

I totally agree 100% with CQ. I couldn't have said it better myself.

[seminolewind]

This is my "Go to Bed!"

[Sylie]

She's almost got it! at least she's in the vicinity!

[artemis]

Grin re Seminole Wind's chicken!

Okay, the last couple nights they went in.

What I did different: MUCH less food in the morning. So they were hungry for grain by their designated dinner/bedtime. No having to harass them to get in.

Soon they'll do it on their own, and I'll let them out of the coop AND run, into their outdoor fencing area.

[artemis]

Well, Eowyn's doing it again, not going to bed at night. Sometimes she has Fimbrethil join her in her nighttime shenanigans. I'm wondering if this is an Orpington thing? No, it's not every night, but it seems to be almost every other night.  Mealworms aren't cutting it, but all the other birds go ecstatic.  


I'm guessing with our heavy heavy rains today, they'll all be happy to be in a dry coop tonight! (Their run does have a roof, but the edges are of course wet.)

[chickenqueen]

I've got a cockeral that insists on sleeping on top of the grow out pen.I let him stay there,he's safe as long as he stays under the pine tree branches.

[seminolewind]

I had a BO that loved the highest thing she could find. Try bread on her. Put her in the coop, give her a piece of bread. It shouldn't take more than a few days for her to "get it".

[artemis]

I'll give the bread thing a try. Mind you, I don't buy bread much (my own diet is somewhat Paleo), but if it works, I'll get it for them.

[Sylie]

if white bread doesn't do it, try a low sugar whole grain bread, mine wouldn't touch white bread when I was looking into what treats they like but they went bananas over 7 grain.

[seminolewind]

Yea, Artemis, there's got to be any treat that you don't give out frequently but they want it sooo bad!

[chickenqueen]

I haven't found too much mine won't eat.Like,some won't touch peas,carrots or beans but others will kill for it.LOL I buy marked down bread for mine when I can find it.We had a Hostess Thrift shop where you could get a big bag full of of almost expired, misshaped/smashed bread loafs,buns,rolls for $1,not for human consumption, and to be fed to animals only but they closed when Hostess did and never reopened when Hostess did,though the store is still there and empty.I could stock up up on Snowballs and Raspberry ingers for me and other goodies for everybody else.I miss that place and they don't taste the same since being bought out and reopened.

[Sylie]

We used to have one of those stores in the next town over, LOVED that place! Sad that it's gone.