bedtime routines for your chickens

[SC_Hugh]

A couple of weeks ago, my two Dominiques were roosting inside on their own and my two younger Cochins were huddling outside and I had to lift them into the coop.

To solve this problem, I cut a lower pop door for them and turned on a light inside the coop. Dark outside, light on inside...Cochins went in on their own. Now at night, I throw a small handfull of scratch and they come in running.

Last night, the Cochins were trying to push the Doms off the high roost at bedtime. Funny thing is that the top roost is long enough for 8 chickens, but these 4 want to fight for the window seat.

The light trick really works for the young ones.

--Hugh

 

[NellaBean]

I have two routines. I have 12 youngsters (12-13 weeks) in a coop and attached run. They now put themselves to bed at dusk. I just go out and do a head count, shut and lock the pop door and padlock the coop door (er, double...maybe I am paranoid?). I usually do my food and water checks then too, since I never have time in the morning. For a while, only the 6 "big kids" would put themselves away, I had to catch the 6 cochins every night for over a week and stuff them in the popdoor of the coop. One nght I stayed inside with mealworms and they eventually one by one came up the ramp to get goodies. The next night they were all in. There are still 4 who sleep huddles in a corner on the floor, the other 8 are on the top roost.

My two "big kids" (RIR 15 weeks, cockerel and pullet) stay in a little tractor during the day and sleep in an old converted tack shed in the garage at night. I let them out of their pen and then walk to the garage.....90% of the time they come running after me and into the garage, and hop up on the fan in front of the shed so I can pick them up and put them away. Even my aggressive cockerel who will flog my ankles on the way in will let me pick him up to put him away.


Here they are waiting to be put into their night shed (they have a partitioned area behind the solid door).

 

[mmtillman]

Quote:
I can just see you wakin up surrounded by sleeping chickens!

 

[Uppity Peon]

Last night I went out and a few of the flock had not gone inside yet. But I noticed that of the ones inside, most were up on the perches!

I picked up Cuckoo (one of my EE chicks) and allowed her to sit on my left arm while I tried to encourage the stragglers to go inside by removing the feeders and trying to make the twittering sound. Eventually they went inside to join their friends and get away from the crazy man. Then I tossed Cuckoo inside and shut the door.

So they are big girls now and don't have to huddle on the floor at dusk any more!

 

[thebritt]

I feed them their crumbles before dusk. They all go in for a before-bedtime snack. Sometimes some will come back outside, but by dark everones in bed.

 

[ljh]

My coop is located inside a wire run with a roof. The girls (I have three now) had been good about going into the coop at nite - then a couple of nites ago I went out to close them in and they were on top of the coop instead of inside - it's kinda high so it took some effort to get them down and inside - how do I break this habit????

 

[lunkerchicken]

I have 8 girls that are just over 6 weeks and they get in the coop by themselves by dark. My 3 little EE's (3 - 4 weeks) will sit out in the run all night if I left them. I am still trying to train them to go in by themselves, hopefully soon!

 

[bantamenace]

Our little flock of 4 always are in bed by themselves at 4:30 on the dot. It is winter here so that is when it gets dark. You could set your clock by them