When to let chicks out of the coop into the run?

aart said:

Well, shade is important....in the summer in Spain(?)

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It is but I am in Pennsylvania (where I grew up) my wife is from Spain and we moved here about 3 months ago. Were we in Spain the chicks would roast as where we lived would be 100+ degrees right now.

CTKen said:

I think I'd put them in the coop overnight for the first night and then let them out in the run the following morning, leaving the coop door open thereafter. If they don't return to the coop on an evening, putting a light in the coop at dusk should encourage them to go inside (you can then turn the light off, once they are inside)

Ct

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This was posted last week Never know.... silly chickens. Have you checked for sings of a predator in the coop maybe? Snake even? Maybe something traumatic happened to them in there... Best of luck to your little ones!

DogCatChickMom said:

This was posted last week Never know.... silly chickens. Have you checked for sings of a predator in the coop maybe? Snake even? Maybe something traumatic happened to them in there... Best of luck to your little ones!

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I totally missed the light suggestin in that post. As forso ething in there, I havent seen anything. I do ger black snakes from time to time but have never seen one in either coop. My family hunts and traps which keeps the coon, mink, martin, possum and coyote population down but I cant see anything bigger than maybe a mouse getting in but you never know. I have pythons, have for yearsand they can get into the smallest places. However Im not missing any chicks...

Well the light does not seem to be working yet. They don't even like to go in during the day. Today I am trying something new, I am leaving the feed in the coop and putting water in the run and the coop. The little guys follow me around like where is my food so I put a few of them in there and they ate and came back out and repeated the process with a few more. One or two of them is going into the coop to eat but it is still early in the day. I hope this at least gives them some idea that they need to return to the coop because it has food, shelter, their roost etc.

I don't know what else to do other than keep putting them on their roost at night. I have been putting them in there well after dark as another poster suggested thinking that maybe they just are not ready to go to sleep. Maybe I will buy some meal-worms tomorrow and try to train them with treats. These chicks sure are stubborn. It rained all day yesterday (they can hide under their coop) and they just stayed out like it was nothing...Grr...I sure don't want to put them in there every night for the next few years because a few of them bite, lol.

Now there are two that have the food idea down at least. One cockerel that is gigantic compared to the others and one small pullet keep going in and out for food. The others look at me like...where is my food human.

aart said:

Oh, well, then you should change your profile to read where you actually live

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It says Spain and USA in the profile. Because for a few years we were going back and forth. I guess I can change it now.

Well, yesterday all but three of the chicks put themselves to bed. It seems that though the light did not work keeping the feed in the coop did. That and I took the advice of another poster and am only letting them out for a few hours before dark. I guess I will continue trying this for a week and then letting them out all day.

Thanks again for all of the advice everyone has given.