How long to keep them in coop?

[iPeanut1990]

My chicks will be 3 weeks old on Wednesday. It's been 80s-90s ish during the day and 70s at night except for this week because it won't stop raining. I'm in Oklahoma so it will be getting warmer quickly. I think it's warm enough to move them to the coop. I'm hoping to move them this weekend if it finally stops raining and warms up again. I keep seeing different periods of time to keep them locked in the coop from a few days to a few weeks. I'm pretty sure I'll still get a variety of answers but how long should I keep them "cooped" up? Also, does this mean IN the roosting area itself? I have a coop that was a kit with a small built-in run underneath (they will also have access to an 8ft x10ft run as well as a chicken tractor to move them around the yard every few days). Should I block off the exit to the coop run to keep them in the roosting area? Or as long as they are in the coop will they learn to sleep in the roosting area? They won't be getting very much light if they're blocked in the roosting area will they? There's no electricity but a little bit of light still comes in through the ventilation. There's only 3 of them and my first chickens so introducing them to a flock isn't a concern. My plan right now is to put them in the roosting area and closing them in there and if they wander down the ladder than that's ok. My feeling is since it's their first time in the coop they won't want to wander out right away anyway so they would still get used to the roosting area. Does that sound like the right thing to do? Hopefully someone understand what I'm trying to say! Lol

 

[creepygothnursi]

Your plan sounds fine to me. Just make sure they can't get to the run part at night or they may try to sleep in it. I didn't have a door on my coop initially and mine refused to sleep in the coop, tried to sleep piled up in a corner of the run. I wasn't ok with this for fear some animal might reach through the fencing of the run and grab them, so I had to put a door on the run and force them into the coop at night. It didn't take them very long to get the idea once I did that though- only 2 or 3 days. Once they figured out that that was where they were supposed to sleep, they went there on their own and I had no more problems. Even when their coop self-destructed and had to be replaced (long story), they knew that the new coop was the place to go and I didn't have to re-train them, which was a pleasant surprise.

 

[iPeanut1990]

Your plan sounds fine to me. Just make sure they can't get to the run part at night or they may try to sleep in it. I didn't have a door on my coop initially and mine refused to sleep in the coop, tried to sleep piled up in a corner of the run. I wasn't ok with this for fear some animal might reach through the fencing of the run and grab them, so I had to put a door on the run and force them into the coop at night. It didn't take them very long to get the idea once I did that though- only 2 or 3 days. Once they figured out that that was where they were supposed to sleep, they went there on their own and I had no more problems. Even when their coop self-destructed and had to be replaced (long story), they knew that the new coop was the place to go and I didn't have to re-train them, which was a pleasant surprise.

Thank you! That's very encouraging !!

 

[ShockValue]

Isn't this fun?

If you were trying to get more light in the roosting area, could you leave the door open but put some chicken wire across it? They could get the light and the fresh air, but still be in the "sleeping area"...

Mine is a larger coop with windows, so I wasn't worried about that part of the equation. I kept mine locked up tight for about 3 days. Then I let them out only into a small 4x5 caged area for another 3 days. Then we went to full free range. I wasn't intending on going so quickly, but I happened to do our "trial runs" later in the afternoon/evening, and they all went back inside and went to sleep of their own accord with no prodding by me at all.

Magic!

 

[iPeanut1990]

Thanks! Hoping to get them moved out tomorrow!

 

[aart]

Sounds like you have done your research!

Hopefully there is a latchable door on the roosting area(coop) doorway to keep them safe from predators at night.

Let them have access to the small run during the day and if they don't go into the coop at night by themselves put them in there and close the door. After you do that for a few nights they should learn to do it themselves pretty quickly...within a week.

Best of Luck, Have Fun!

 

[6of6chicks]

Hi -

Total newbie here, but sometimes there's solidarity in knowing someone else did what you want to do, right?

I'm south of Houston, so dealing with similar temps that you are. I moved my girls to their coop when they were two weeks old. Mainly because it was already warm and they were rapidly outgrowing their cardboard box in the house. Overnight lows were above 70, and I just ran an extension cord to put the brooder lamp in the coop. For the first week I left it on 24/7. The next week I switched to the regular light bulb during the day and the brooder lamp at night. By week four they were too hot with the brooder lamp, so I switched to a regular bulb 24/7.

They're 5 1/2 weeks now, and yesterday was their first day to have access to the run. I kept them locked in the coop for 3 1/2 weeks, with just a couple of hours a day in the tractor a few days a week (which I supervised, because I was too nervous to leave them by themselves). I had to coax them out into the run with corn, but once they got in there they were happy chickens. But the coop is definitely "home." If something startled them they quickly headed for the coop. It was so funny to watch them scurry up the ramp, and then a few minutes later see six little chicken heads peeking out the pop door to see if it was safe to come back out! Luckily they've got a brave one, so after about five minutes she'd march back out and the rest would follow.

They also headed for the coop when the light started fading, which is what I want. I think being locked in the coop for so long made it home to them. Of course, I came out lots of times each day to pet them and socialize with them so they would still know me (and the dog).

Not sure if that was the proper way to go about things, but it definitely worked for me!

 

[ShockValue]

I'm no pro, but it sounds like things are going just the way they're supposed to!

 

[Jagallo12]

Hey All, this makes my second post here (so I am a newbie - and hope this is the right forum). Let me set up the scenario before I ask the questions.

On Labor day (3 days ago) I purchased 3 barred rock hens, 3 austraplorp hens and 1 australorp roo.

They have been in the coop now for 3 days, going on 4. Here in NC, the heat and humidity is getting in the high 80s and lower 90s during the day. I have plenty of ventilation, and fresh water in the coop, but it is so hot.

I live on about 4 acres of country land, so these will be 100% free range birds so I have no "run" built. I have read that I should leave them in the coop for 1 to 2 weeks...

Now for my question: Do you think that 4 days In the coup is enough for them to know were home is? Can I start to let them out around dusk for the next few days?

Thanks for the feedback in advance!

 

[aart]

You could try to let them out close to dark and they should go back in to roost.

How old are they and have they been using the roosts the last 3 nights?