Anxiety about moving chicks into coop?

[eieiolife]

I'm a first time chicken owner. I have 11, 4 week old chicks. They've been safely tucked in a big brooder in my garage. They even have roosts in the brooder but they're getting big. They can fly out of it when the lid is open, making water/food changing tricky. My coop is ready. It's been predator proofed, locks and hardware cloth on windows. But I'm so nervous about moving them into it. I tried a few last night. They cried and I freaked out and put them back in the brooder. I've read is good to train them a few hours a day but it's really tricky to catch them and move them back and forth.I don't think I have time to do that. Do other people have this same anxiety? Any advice for calming myself and making it a good transition for the chicks.

 

[silkymom]

i just put my 4 week olds out the other day, i always lock them in the coop late afternoon with food and water and open the door in the morning, they always have gone back in to eat and drink and in for bed, i know how ya feel, but they will do fine.good luck

 

[TRMFAM]

I know exactly how you feel...first time owner with 24 three week old chicks so we are close to the point of putting out too and I am worried as well. LOL...I fear I will be the same as you and when they start yelling I will run in and "rescue" them back to their familiar home. Thank you for making me feel normal!

100% in alignment as well how difficult it is to move 24 babies around...we are doing 20-30 minutes of outside time each day it is not too windy and man it is like herding cats across an ocean. Anytime you separate any of them the screaming starts...several times I have had to double check they are not actually in pain!

I will start the girls out walking around the new house and run this weekend and plan on the day to lock them in the coop for a couple days (probably 48 hours) to establish that this is the "new home". Of course checking on them each day refreshing food and water, etc. but...I can already see the scenario, enlist the whole family in getting them moved quickly into coop, closing the door and running so I cant hear the crying!

Please keep my updated and your journey!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I'm a first time chicken owner. I have 11, 4 week old chicks. They've been safely tucked in a big brooder in my garage. They even have roosts in the brooder but they're getting big. They can fly out of it when the lid is open, making water/food changing tricky. My coop is ready. It's been predator proofed, locks and hardware cloth on windows. But I'm so nervous about moving them into it. I tried a few last night. They cried and I freaked out and put them back in the brooder. I've read is good to train them a few hours a day but it's really tricky to catch them and move them back and forth.I don't think I have time to do that. Do other people have this same anxiety? Any advice for calming myself and making it a good transition for the chicks.

Welcome to BYC.
When you say you tried moving a few last night - did you move them with the intent of having them sleep in the coop and at what point did they start to cry? It is normal for there to be some upset from them with any change and when transitioning from brooder to coop the first few nights can seem quite fretful with plenty of crying to be heard as they sort out where to sleep, etc. Were they inside the coop or outside in the attached run when the crying set in? While the inclination to swoop in and "fix" it for them is understandable, it is unnecessary. If they were huddled up outside the coop in the run, simply move them into the coop, shut the door and let them sort themselves out. It's best to do this while it's still somewhat light out so they can see well enough inside the coop (remember, it's darker in there than it is outside, especially if closing the door cuts off a major source of light (not sure of the window situation for your coop).
*I* would just move them out and be done with it. Might they fuss a bit the first few nights at bedtime - yes, but they'll adjust, never look back and you will ALL be happier for it.

 

[mc3681]

I understand, I'm nervous about it and I still have 4 weeks to go lol! This isn't my first go-round with chicks but it is the first time in a new house, new yard, new coop. I plan on bringing them into the coop during the day for a few hours a few times to get them used to it.

 

[eieiolife]

I moved them all when I got home from work today. They seem okay. They're fighting a decent bit but I suppose some of that is normal as they acclimate to a new space. I've been suspicious two are roostersand might have found more evidence. When moving them I noticed red wattles developing on these two and not any of the others. These two also have bigger combs and thicker feet and fight with each other a lot. Still crossing my fingers.

 

[mexicanchickens]

My chicks were ok in the coop but did cry around night time too! I realized that you just have to leave them and after a few days they'll stop cheeping once they get used to it.

 

[pjayschicks]

I am also a first timer .I have 2 L. Brahmas and 2 R.I. Reds.They They are 4 and 5 weeks old. They started off inside in a bathtub for almost 2 weeks, then I moved them to the garage in a brooder. Every day I take them to an outside pen for a couple hours while I work on their coop that I am building out of recycled wood and pallets. Its almost finished, and they seem to be getting use to the yard. They scratch around and eat bugs . They are really interesting to watch, and a lot of fun. I let them into my garden, but only 1 or 2 at a time.I am hoping to keep them off my tomatoes, but we'll see. I am a little stressed about all of the old nails that dropped on the ground during construction . I read this can be dangerous if they eat one (hardware disease). Overall I am very excited about the decision to raise chickens. Easing them into the coop seems to be working.

 

[azygous]

Don't be embarrassed. It's normal to be nervous about transitioning your chicks from the safety of the brooder to the coop. You are also experiencing the fact that chickens hate change. Put that with the fact that chicks are wary of anything new as a survival mechanism, and they often display extreme stress when exposed to new things, from living quarters to food. But left to slowly adjust, they will get used to anything.

Just relish the relative simplicity of installing them in a coop with no adult chickens for them to also have to cope with, for that is what you'll be facing the next time you decide to raise chicks and you have to transition them to the coop.

I used to like to move the chicks into the coop early in the day and leave them to explore their new quarters all day before dark descends and they also have to go to sleep in the dark. Then this last time, I simply put them inside the coop at bedtime, and they didn't like it, but I managed to sooth them with some pats on the backs and they were good.

Do you know how to train them to go into the coop on their own when night comes? You certainly don't want to be out there every night stuffing them into their coop? I can tell you how I do it if you want to know.

 

[elenfair]

Yep, I have three new pullets who got to endure (!) both a move away from their pens, into a new urban coop with a run. Holy changes, Batman. There's been lots of chirping, but they are eating well, drinking well, and adjusting. Right now, they're hiding in the coop and not exploring too far yet. It'll come. Chickens are remarkably resilient in the long run. They just don't like change. It's a survival thing, really. It'll be a'right!