new hen won't go in coop at night

[WilliamItWasReallyNothing]

We bought some new hens about 3 weeks ago to join our existing flock. All seem to get on ok now (after some initial skirmishes) but one hen still will not go in the coop at night. DH has to lift her off the roof each night and put her in the house. Do any experienced chicken keepers have any advice on how to break this habit and get her to go in the coop by herself?

Keep doing what you're doing Some are a bit, er, dense She'll get the idea eventually. Shove her through the pop hole at dusk.

Right, will tell DH he can't get out of this just yet Hopefully she'll get the message eventually!

Keep her in day and night for a few days. Bit mean I know, but we had to do that with our two newbies and they soon got the message!

oooh that's an idea! not sure how the other chickens would feel though - they'd have to lay elsewhere?

Yes, that is an issue for sure. But for us it literally was 2 or 3 days... We introduced two newbies to a run with two oldies and I genuinely can't remember how we got around the laying thing...

But anyway, it meant the newbies knew to take themselves off to bed. DH checked on them for a week or so to make sure they got it, I think only once in that week (after their enforced incarceration!) did he have to manhandle one of them in for the night.

Good luck.

With my hens, on the first day i chased guided them up and down the ramp every couple of hours and then gave them a nudge at dusk and by day 3 they'd got it.

6 weeks on and i had forgotten to open the door after closing them in to red mite dust them so at bedtime they were lined up on the ramp loudly complaining :o

As they are in an enclosed run i don't open/close door currently but will when temp drops.

Our new one did the same. One of the old chickens kept chasing her out of the coop. - We had to get her out of the trees with a broom for a few nights to get her into the coop. She goes in by herself now. They all seem to get along OK now and the bossy one has given up being mean.

yep, you really have to just keep doing it.

they're stubborn things, chickens.

Zombiechickens is right, too - put her through the pophole (rather than lifting her through the roof) as it means that she always goes in through the right door. (chickens can't lift the roof! )