Afraid of the dark??

[sugar pants]

I know this sounds crazy...but I think my chicks are afraid of the dark.

They are 10 weeks old. Moved out into their coop two weeks ago. We still have the heat lamp in there as it was chilly last week...but it's been very warm this week. I wasn't planning on using it, but as it got dark they would just not settle down...kept doing their funny chirp that means they are not happy and giving me the one eye stare out their window.

So I plugged the lamp in and their happily went about their chicken business.

Lamp off....unhappy chickens.

Lamp on...happy chickens.

I keep telling myself that these are FARM ANIMALS and I can not baby them. But it seem that I'm no better doing cry it out with chickens than I was with my kids.

How am I supposed to get them to not be afraid of the dark??

 

[eponagirl]

I've read some people have a night light for their chickens. Mine are still in the house and we use a heat emitter (no light, just heat) so they are already used to the dark....but when they go out to the coop, our outside light shines a little in the coop, so they'll have some light. Other people it seems, just try to get through a nite or two of them crying and then the chicks get used to it.

Good luck!

PS- not crazy!!! I've read several posts of people saying the same thing and my chicks were afraid too when we started turning lights off..

 

[Missouri Maiden]

Chickens can't see in the dark very well, but I think eventually they will learn to get themselves to bed before it gets too dark.