Nighttime Roosting Concern

I have 5 white year old chanteclers, and 5 partridge chantecler pullets. Putting them all together in September went quite well, but the 5 partridge chanteclers roost on a branch in the run and don't go in at night. The white rooster even roosts with them sometimes. We have tried to get them in the coop, but they come out as fast as we can get them in. I am worried about their exposure to the weather as it gets colder. Any suggestions? In the bigger pen right beside them housing 22 chickens of various breeds added at different times, all are quite fine going into their more crowded coop at night. So what is going on in those stubborn little partridge brains? Space is not an issue in the chantecler coop; there is one roost that goes unused that is across from the where the whites roost for the night.

Check the basics. Is the inside roost as comfortable as the outside roost? Chickens prefer a flat surface to roost on, like the thin side of a 2x4 (sharp edges shaved off).

Do you have mites? If your hen house has a mite load, the birds may be avoiding night time attack.

It may come down to stuffing them in their coop and locking them in for a couple of days. Sometimes youngsters aren't too bright.

Where is the last light before dark? When I have a problem where the chickens don't go in at night I often put a light in the coop on a timer for a week or two. It helps if the food is inside while the light is on. There are times when you may have to herd them inside. Depending on your setup there may be some dangers with leaving them outside. I've had some expensive chicks bed down for the night up against the coop. When it turned cold and rainy they piled on top of each other with about 6 on the bottom dying.

Cut the branch...

I had a group earlier this fall that were determined to roost outside. I had to physically place each one inside the coop each night for about a week before they gave up and started going in on their own. If you do this when it is dark outside they should not come wandering back out after you put them inside.

At 9:00 last night we blocked the pop door and took some fairly sleepy chickens inside. There was no way out, and I hope we don't have to do this for very long! Of course, now it also means I have to go out a little earlier than I used to and open the door for them . What I find interesting is the white chantecler rooster joining the partridge chanteclers instead of staying with his own hens. Guess he thinks they need the extra care.