Placing my flock in their new home.

why would anyone lock chickens in a coop in the SUmmer ??? I think that dam cruel period...summer winter whatever.
Mine just had to be moved by hands a few times. then we went to town and didnt get back till dark course they were in the big run. One time when they were still pullets they huddled in the run corner.....
Most made it to the coop the others in the "chute: didnt take long for the next time in a new coop

ladyearth said:

why would anyone lock chickens in a coop in the SUmmer ??? I think that dam cruel period...summer winter whatever.
Mine just had to be moved by hands a few times. then we went to town and didnt get back till dark course they were in the big run. One time when they were still pullets they huddled in the run corner.....
Most made it to the coop the others in the "chute: didnt take long for the next time in a new coop

Click to expand...

Many do without harm, depends on the situation and the coop in question......
........temperature, ventilation, number of birds, all come into consideration.

I'm also having some challenges with my first flock. Four 10 week old pullets.

I got them 3 weeks ago, when they were 7 weeks old. 2 buff orpingtons and 2 cochins. They were all kept inside in their brooder till yesterday, because the coop wasn't finished. We are making it from recycled pallets.

Yesterday we moved them into the coop. I intend free ranging them, but realise I need to keep them in the coop for a while so they associate it with being safe and will return there in the evenings.

Anyway, the chickens are now 10 weeks old, and the coop is finished at last so we put them in the coop yesterday in the upstairs "bedroom" part. After about 5 hours in there, I tempted them to come down the ramp to eat, They half flew, half skiddadled down the ramp. But now they won't go back up into the bedroom! Last night they slept all in a pile on the floor in the downstairs part.

I have tried tempting them up the ramp with treats, but to no avail. I've tried picking them up and placing them on the ramp in an attempt to show them that's the way up, but they get so stressed out when I try to catch them (they haven't been handled much at all - my biggest mistake I believe) They immediately jump/fly off the ramp and run in the corner away from me.

Do you think they will get the hang of it by themselves?
Or would it be better to catch them and put them in the upstairs bedroom, where the roost is, and keep them in there for a while for them to get used to it and want to go there?

here are some photos of the coop so you have a better idea.

I put my flock in their coop 2days ago. I have been catching them at night and the morning as they only came out on their own this morning. I prefer they are in the coop at night so I will keep catching. I did receive some advice regarding the slope on my ramp so I raised it until they get used to it. Works like a charm. I also got a battery operated push on light for inside the coop. Again until they get used to it. Just be patient they will get it.

@Giggles Chicks
Thanks Giggles.

Yes, I'd prefer mine are in the 'upstairs' part at night too as it's more enclosed. The rest is predator proof covered with hardware cloth, but I still prefer them upstairs.
I'm going to have to get them used to me then, as they freak out when I try and catch them! If I'm just sitting quietly near them, they'll come over and lie down next to me, but if I try and catch them...
I think I'll get hubby to help me. He seems better at catching them than I am.

I actually found one of them half way up the ramp yesterday afternoon, pecking at the mealworms I'd left there to try to get them to use it! I think that's a good sign, don't you?

aart said:

Many do without harm, depends on the situation and the coop in question......
........temperature, ventilation, number of birds, all come into consideration.

Click to expand...

Hi aart!
My girls are giving me the same challenge.
I moved them to their new coop 2 days ago. (I intend to free range them but am keeping them inside for a while before giving them the free run of the garden.)They spent all their time in the downstairs part of their coop and slept there all piled on top of each other for 2 nights. My hubby put them into the upstairs bedroom part today at 2pm. They are not locked in there. They can get out if they go down the ramp to the downstairs area.
I'm a little worried about the heat. It's 36ºC (97ºF) in the sunshine. Inside the upstairs part of the coop, where they are now, it is 28ºC (83ºF) but almost no breeze because of the wooden walls.
I have 4 girls. 2 orpingtons, and 2 cochins.
The upstairs part of the coop is 75cm wide, 160cm long, and 1 meter high, with a 12cm wide ventilation gap running along the three outer walls under the roof, and a 30cm ventilation gap at the top of the inside wall. The open door way is 35cm wide and 45cm high and leads directly to the ramp, which goes around a corner to stop it being too steep (see photos)
I have put ice cubes in their water.
If they get too hot, would they go down the ramp to the downstairs part which is covered with hardware cloth so has a breeze blowing through it, which would cool them down? or have you ever known any birds to stay where they are too hot and over heat, or worse still, die?

here is the coop, so you have a better idea of what I'm talking about...