Chickens not sleeping in coop

[MonteCristo]

We recently acquired 4 chickens. The first two were hybrids based on the Rhode Island Red. Two days later we received 2 cochins. We couldn't arrange for them to arrive at the same time and were told that it would probably be okay as the first 2 hens wouldn't have been in their new home for very long.

Although there wasn't much bullying overall, the two hybrids refused to let the cochins enter the coop at night. We found ourselves having to go out after dark and physically place the cochins into the coop. There isn't much pecking going on at all now but the cochins have either decided that they are going to sleep in the run or wait for us to go out and move them into the coop at night. This obviously isn't ideal as a long-term solution.

Does anyone have any advice about how to persuade the cochins that they should be heading into the coop at night by themselves rather than bedding down in the run? They have now been in for 2-3 weeks and haven't once entered the coop voluntarily.

Although the cochins are very easy to handle, the two hybrids aren't very forthcoming and still need to be "caught" in order to be handled. Any advice about how to ease this process would also be very welcome.

 

[Marigold]

Hi Monte Christo, and welcome to the forum.
It’s not uncommon for resident chickens to gang up against newcomers. Even if they’ve only been living in a new home for a couple of days, they will have formed a territorial claim on the space, so it’s probable, I think, that yours will always stay as two couples of friends even after they’ve fully settled down.
If you’re in the UK, or anywhere where the weather has been very hot the past two weeks, your newbies will probably be quite happy to sleep in the run as it will be a bit cooler, especially if you can provide a perch for them. I’ve had hens who preferred to sleep on a high perch under the roof, even in winter, rather than use the coop even though it was clean of redmite and the pophole was always left open. Keeping them cool has been a big problem recently, hasn’t it? So long as the run is secure enough for you to be able to leave the pop hole and all ventilators open at all times, they will come to no harm, and it is best to let them sort themselves out, I think. If you had to wear a big feather duvet all the time, you wouldn’t want to be shut up in a closed bedroom all night, would you? If you feel the run is not fully secure, then it would be good to attend to this, as they will be at risk at any time of day if out in it, and full ventilation and an open pophole in the coop is vital to their health and ability to come and go as they please. If you do feel it’s important that they all roost together in the coop every night, you’ll just have to persevere in putting them in after dusk until they get the hang of it. What time are you going down to put them to bed? If you leave it until it’s fully dark before checking, you may find they will have gone in of their own accord.

It always takes a while for a new flock to settle down together and form their own pecking order, and there’s nothing you can do to hasten this social process, except provide enough space for any bird who is being bullied. If no blood is being shed during the day, they will come to an arrangement once they agree who is top hen and where the others fit in. You didn’t say how old they are - are they all point of lay youngsters? How big is your run?

As for handling them, it’s best to tempt them to you by sitting quietly and holding out a few grains of corn on your outstretched hand. Remember they are a prey species and although many hens do become very tame, others will always be more stand offish, this differs between breeds. Brown hybrids bred to live peacefully in large commercial flocks are usually easy to tame and appear to enjoy human company, but others are more wary and dislike being touched, let alone handled. Here again, remember it’s early days, give them time to trust you, and just gently let them come to you in their own time. What breeds are your hybrids?

 

[Icemaiden]

If they're related to Rhode Island Reds, I'm guessing ISA Browns or equivalent?