Chickens won’t leave the coop? Here’s why.
Chickens may not feel comfortable leaving the coop to go outside for many reasons, including they’re nervous about new surroundings, scared from a predator attack, or they’re cold, sick, or injured. Some chickens who don’t want to leave the coop may be getting picked on by chickens in the run.
To learn more about each of these topics and what to do, read on!
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The 5 most common reasons chickens won’t leave the coop
#1 Young chickens may not want to leave the coop.
If you have young chickens—like Russ, who I mentioned above—and they don’t want to leave the coop for all or part of the day, this is totally normal. They’re just learning about their environment and how to be chickens. I’ve had some young chickens spend many months almost entirely in the coop. They outgrow this eventually.
#2 Your chickens are cold.
This especially applies to young chickens. I’ve found that young chickens are more likely to be affected by the cold their very first winter and can be hesitant to leave the warmth of the coop. They tend to outgrow this after their first winter.
I like to put Sweeter Heaters in my coops for my cold chickens. These are ultra-safe heaters you put over the roosting bars and when chickens need to warm up, they can get under the heater. I’ve found my chickens spend considerably more time outside when they can come in to briefly warm up under their Sweeter Heaters.
You can find Sweeter Heaters in small, medium, and large sizes.
#3 Your chickens are sick or injured.
If you have a chicken who won’t leave the coop and she appears to be unwell—hunched over, tail down, feathers puffed out—she’s likely near death or in acute pain.
For example, one my chickens, Edy Bea, broke her beak very high up in the quick. This was incredibly painful for her and she spent a couple of days hunched up. I found her on the roosting bar like this and then brought her in the house for additional care.
And many times I’ve found a hen standing fluffed up in the coop, looking unwell. These hens are almost always on death’s doorstep. Frequently, they will have swelling in their abdominal cavity and their crops won’t fully empty. When I’ve necropsied these hens, I’ve found ovarian cancer, oviduct impaction, liver disease, and several other fatal problems.
Euthanasia is the kindest choice for these hens.
#4 Your chickens are scared.
Whether it’s a predator that scared them or simply a change in their environment, scared chickens may stay inside the coop for days or weeks.
#5 Your chickens are being picked on.
I’ve particularly seen this with my roosters. When one rooster is picking on another one, the picked-on rooster will tend to spend his time in the coop if the aggressive rooster is outside and vice versa.
When young chickens don’t want to leave the coop…
One of my email subscriber’s, Russ, asked me this:
“…I am loving my chickens but they are lazy. The first several mornings I got up at sunrise around 6a to open the coop door. When I would come back to check on them between 8 and 9, they would still be in the coop. One up, they eat then walk the yard most of the day grazing. The other day they had not come out after 10a! From everything I read, this isn't the norm, right? They seem healthy, happy, and unsurpassed - but just lazy when it comes to starting their day.
Please let me know your thoughts about these behaviors that go against the grain of everything I had read, which was substantial.”
For my response, see the video below: