A couple of chick questions

[besjoux]

1) my chicks will be 5 weeks Monday. They are still not very friendly. They are very hard to catch to put in their coop at night on the days they decide NOT to go into their coop at dusk. Do they ever become friendly? I have 12 and it's hard to spend the time socializing with all of them. What did you do to get your chicks to become friendly.

2) They had been in the run for a week and still were not putting themselves to bed at sunset (or even right after sunset) so I started taking food away at around 3 or 4 PM and giving it back to them at 9. . That worked everyday until last night. Previously I was treating them with watermelon or blueberries to reward going in (their fav treat) Last night it was hot and they didn't seem hungry. Is that why they wouldn't go in? I am getting frustrated because I'm almost due with my own baby and it's getting VERY hard to catch them (as they don't like being caught). I know that when we end up in labor in the hospital we are just leaving them in the coop. Someone will check on them for feed and water but I can't give them the hassle of trying to herd them in. It's a royal PITB!

I also wonder if the coop training is because we only have babies and no older hens to "show them the ropes".....

 

[chickenbythesea]

I don't think it's because you only have littles...last year my golden comets needed to be put into the coop every night for at least a month. The littles this year figured it out in a week and they weren't even with the bigs. As for their friendliness... you just have to be patient. Mine at 5 weeks weren't very friendly... not that they're closer to 10 I've been holding a few of them and they're good about it. Just keep giving them treats and sit out with them.

 

[DianaMallory]

I lost patience with my golden comets, I started with treats to lure them in but after awhile I felt they should be going in on their own, one hot night I got the water hose after them everybody went in the coop in a hurry that night! Then I realized one evening I had forgot to put them up it was almost dark and everyone was in already. I don't think I was giving them enough time to go in on their own! So the next night I waited and they went in on their own they now have a routine, they wait until they trip the motion light and then they all go in. It is my evening entertainment watching 2 of the hens try to decide who the head of the flock is and run everyone inside for the night! Try giving yours more time to decide for themselves. Or get out the water hose! lol!

 

[BoltonChicken]

If your run is protected, I would let them stay out at night. As they mature the roosting urge comes out and they will start to go into the coop to roost. Yours are awfully young yet, and need more time to figure out how to be a chicken. At three months or so they have most of it figured out, so be patient. They become friendlier the more you are around them, but remember that no chicken will become a "pet" in the sense that a dog or cat will. Just not enough brainpower there, but they are a hoot to watch, with very strict and embedded social structure.

 

[jardog1820]

Mine go in by motion light too! Maybe that's the key?

We make the coop our chicken's safe place. We don't catch them or try to hold them when they are in their coop. Once out side they are fair game for me and my kids. We also put their water and food inside once it gets close to time for them to go inside. They wait until that motion light comes on though.
Do you have a roost in your coop?

 

[DianaMallory]

I can only hold mine while they are in the coop. I can't get into their run yet because hubby is off on another project on his honey do list and hasn't put my gate up to the run yet! The motion light is aimed at the run and the coop So I can see if any predators are lurking about when I am up late. So far so good caught a wild kitty in the spot light a couple nights ago!

 

[besjoux]

Mine go in by motion light too! Maybe that's the key?

We make the coop our chicken's safe place. We don't catch them or try to hold them when they are in their coop. Once out side they are fair game for me and my kids. We also put their water and food inside once it gets close to time for them to go inside. They wait until that motion light comes on though.
Do you have a roost in your coop?

Yes, but I also have roosts in the run. They use them but not late in the afternoon or approaching evening. Ok, time it is. I will just continue taking away food at around 3 or 4 and giving it back to them at 9. Or is that cruel? They, otherwise, have full access to food all of the time.

 

[ChickPrincess]

I discovered, by accident, a fast way to get the chickens in when I needed to quickly (we were really in a hurry to go somewhere).
One evening it was raining lightly, so I went out with an umbrella. They didn't mind the umbrella, but I happened to shake it up and down quickly a few times trying to get them to go in. Let me tell you, they were ALL in the coop in a matter of 30 seconds!
I'd only use that trick in an emergency because it's probably pretty cruel, but it worked!