Chicken (the live kind) question

[kimbersmom]

I know a few of you have backyard coops. The family I'm pet sitting for have such a coop. Overall, the chickens have been no trouble: I open up the coop in the morning, they wander the yard, and then in the evening I feed them dinner and they go back in the coop. But for the past 2 days, two of the chickens have stayed huddled under the coop and don't leave. It's been *pouring* rain off and on, so I'm hopeful they just don't like precipitation? I did toss a pebble their way to make sure they're still alive; they blinked. So that's good news. But is there anything else I should be doing? Put food near them? Poke them with a broom? (The rain has made the coop the grossest thing I've ever had to walk through repeatedly, so please don't ask me to crawl under the coop. So gross. I never, ever want chickens.)

[Labradorks]

They could have a nest under there and are broody, sitting on eggs together. If they get pissy when you poke them, that could explain it. The other hens could be picking on them in the coop (hens are the original "Mean Girls"). They could have been spooked while in the coop - rat, possum, snake or whatever is in your area. Or, they could be ill.

[janedoe]

When I let my birds free range, they eventually all wind up roosting on the fence. I let it go unless there's a predator around then I wait for them to get on the fence and just after the sun sets, I go out with a head lamp and catch them and put them back in the coop.

My suggestion is not to feed them under there or put out feed. If there are predators, that will attract them and the birds will have no incentive to go back in the coop. When you go to put them back, try throwing a piece of bread in there. That almost always gets my guys going. If they don't go back in, make sure they have access to water but they're free ranging so they don't really need feed. The rain could very well be "trapping" them under there.

[kimbersmom]

The owners are back and tell me the chickens were just roosting. Thanks for reassuring me!