What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[clucky chicken]

Hello again lovely people - me again, wanting yet more advice! - on getting the chickies used to a new chicken house...after they've lived in the old one for about 3 months...

 

OH is building it tommorrow (it's flat packed) but when it's finished - how do we get the girls to go in it - the house is up a ladder and they've never seen one of these before.

 

At the moment we have a run attached to a small house on the ground which they're very happy with.... but because it's so difficult to clean out each week, we decided to get a raised one for them - ...well.. us really!!! Will they realise that the house is up higher now and go up the ladder ok, or will we have to teach them how to go up..... how do chickens generally cope with new living surroundings?

 

Thanks everyone..

[Slim]

Let them goto bed a normal then move them to the new coop so it is all new in the morning make sure you hide the old coop a sheet will do! with some luck the may go home into the new coop!

[Gem_Seb]

I had the same, they had a little house for 4 months which had no ladder, the new one has a ladder! they were a bit dubious at first but once one worked it out they all copied! I had to put them to bed for a few nights as they refused to go in when it got dark even though they did in the other house but after about 4 days it was like they had never even lived in the old one!!

[Jools]

As above, but make sure you remove their old house because if they can see it, that's where they'll want to sleep!!

[Redwing]

Move them when they have gone to roost, if they have to come down the ramp the following morning they have more chance of going back up it come the evening

[Tigerfrogg]

Also you could try the shining a torch through the door trick at dusk, it does work they do tend to walk towards the light if you can get one to do it the rest may follow.