Chicks will not go in coop by themselves!

McGold

Chirping
5 Years
Jun 6, 2018
14
20
86
My 5 beautiful chicks are just about 4 weeks old. I have tried everything to get them to go from run to coop at night on their own but they won't. They will just start to sleep down in run. I move food water up into coop, but they don't seem to care. I tried turning off outside light and putting a little light in coop and giving them some time but still no. Only thing I haven't really tried is treats but I'm skeptical about that since they are still kinda young? Maybe this is normal but I read that they usually get it really quickly so I'm starting to get "concerned" lol
 
The first three days we fed and watered them only in the coop before allowing them into the run. At night they gladly enter the coop as the sun goes down. I think they have to be trained on where to sleep. you might be able to move them to the coop at night and just close it up until morning. Hopefully after a few days they’ll figure it out. Good luck!
 
If they don’t see the coop as “ home base” they won’t naturally go there. Did you let them establish the coop as home ? By having them in there for a few days?

Keep putting them in by hand each night , and one evening you’ll come out and they’ll all be safe inside
 
They will get it. Got my 2 chicks at 4 weeks. Put them in every night & locked the door. Let them out in the mornings. Went out tonight to put them in, they were already in their coop! As I shut their door told them they were good girls and good night.
I give mine some scratch with a little chick grit mixed in. They also have a dish of chick grit available. Have seen them get some grit out of the dish.
 
Keep putting them in. I put my four younger ones in a carrier to sleep in the coop with the bigger ones. They are not integrated yet. Two nights ago I had the carrier in the middle of the enclosure and I opened the gate. They pecked around for a second and all went into the carrier. They did the same thing yesterday and today. They recognize the carrier as their sleeping place. I was quite amazed they connected it, but they did. I'm quite sure they are going to be confused once they are not in the carrier anymore.
 
How long have they been in the coop?

And can you post pictures of your set up? How would they get from the run up to the coop - steps? a ramp? Have you ever seen them go from the run into the coop at all?
 

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I have been just moving them by hand and ya know what? I will do that as long as it takes! Hopefully they will get it some day. I have seen them go up individually throughout the day, but not in unison at night. Due to certain situations, they were in coop/run for first 2 weeks of their life and have stayed there ever since. They seemed to be content, as I watched closely. What treat should I try to get them up there at night?
 
I always train mine with Freeze Dried MealWorms! Best training tool ever.
First you need to make them aware of it, so toss some on the ground & someone will get curious to check it out. I then train them to the sound of the MW in a plastic container, shake it & toss some out ... When they figure it out, they'll come running at the shake of that container. At close up time you can make a trail of MW leading to the coop, or continue as you are and put some in the coop. They'll figure it out.

Then comes the roosting part ... The last set of BO I had would not roost, they were 18wks and still sleeping in the corner on the shavings. Yet they were up on the roosts during the day so I knew they knew it was there. So at dusk, I'd go put them on the roost, it took a few times but they then got the message. Guess they would have figured it out but I wanted them on the roost cause I have a poop board with PDZ & made for easier cleaning ;)
 

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