So proud of our baby chicks

Every night since we have had them, we go out and gather them up and put them into their coop and close the door. Tonight my husband and I went out to gather them and I began looking around the pen and no baby chicks. I was first alarmed thinking that the dog or something had gotten in, but instead I listen and I hear their peeping - each and every one of them can walked up their little plank and they were inside the coop - all we had to do was close the door - smart little chick-a-dees.

That's wonderful! They eventually get it figured out. Don't be surprised if you still have to gather them a few more times though. I free range my hens and they are almost always in the coop when I go out to lock them in. I have one who has started roosting outside the coop on the tractor handle. I just shoo her down and then she goes into the run. I lock them in and they all sleep in the coop.

I have seven chicks that I'll be moving out this weekend as the big girls will go into their new coop. It should be interesting!

it is always a good feeling when they go into the coop for the first time on their own..when I first started with chickens about 7 years ago I had a little silky ( Judy Garland ) who as a youngster REFUSED to go into the coop at night. She would wedge herself inbetween the fence and the wall of the coop in a place that was back breaking to access, but every night before bed I would go out and stick her in the coop. As soon as she got too big to fit in that space she gave it up and started going in the coop at night LOL...I recently posted about my mixed batch of 9 week old cochins and jersey giants - the Jersey Giants have been roosting with the adults for days now while the cochins still sleep on the floor in the run. Like I said they are the exact same age.. Im going to have to start the nightly coop load up ! interesting to note breed differences... In the past Ive definitely found the silkies to be the last to figure out going into the coop...I do not however provide an access ramp because I dont like the way it looks in the coop..I added a little platform and the chickens just hop in and out without a problem.

I just love these birds!!! I really love everyone of my girls!

Interesting about how the different breeds act so differently. I can already tell little differences in how they act and how fast some seem to learn. We only have 8. We started with 6, but fear one is probably a rooster and will have to be returned. Every time I read the thread on the lady who is having trouble with her neighbor because of her rooster, I shudder. I'd hate to go through that ordeal and the one we think may be a boy "is the chosen one" of our five year old grandson. He is also the one who has taken a big interest in the chicks. He comes over several times and day and will sit in the pen and play with them, would help my husband and I catch them to put them in the coop. He is the one who can distinguish which of the RIR's is which. I certainly can't. But the one thing I have noticed is the difference between the breeds. We went back to purchase another Barred Rock because that is the one we think in the originals that may be a boy. While there we purchased a Cochin. We originally had one Barred Rock, one Buff Orphington and four Rhode Island Reds. It wasn't the exact mix of what we wanted, but what was available at the time. We had also intended on getting the older chicks, but again, those were gone so we ended up with babies. Now I am glad we got them so young because they grow so tremendously fast. The first week, before the Cochin and second Barred Rock of the six, the Buff Orphington was the first to do anything even though she was the smallest. The Barred Rock would follow her example and last the RIRs. The RIR have grown faster proportionately than the others, but then we got the Cochin and she is bigger than the others, but in going to the coop apparently she went right along with the rest, They all stay right together. The second Barred Rock is now the smallest - she looks to be about a week younger than the others. None of them seem to be aggressive, but occasionally I will see one of the RIR sort of jump and not sure what she is doing, but she seems to be pecking at one of the other RIRs. Not sure if that is play or a first sign of aggression, but I don't hear any fuss from it so just watching for now.

RIR are nasty birds...Theyre my least favorite breed without a doubt...I dont know ONE person who has a flock of RIR's who hasnt had some feather picking, bullying, or aggression problems within their flock.....With that being said give them PLENTY of space, keep them well fed and you should be fine

The flying at each other is the beginning of the pecking order. My ameraucana chick did it first, then my RIR chick. These chicks are 7 weeks old now, and are getting along fairly well. I believe they have who is who sorted out already. I've found my RIR hen, who is a bit over a year old now, to be the friendliest and most affectionate of the group. When my rooster was taken by a predator, she became the head hen and looks out for the others. They can be aggressive birds though. They don't take any guff off of the other chickens.