At what point do my chickens know when it’s time to go in the coop?

[CrazyTownChick]

I agree with what everyone has said. The roosting bars need to be a foot or two up off the ground so they feel secure about sleeping on them. Their nature is to sleep in the highest possible place they can - in nature that would be tree branches up off the ground.

We've had our 10 week old chicks, 13 of them in our new coop about 2 weeks now. We have two 8 ft long roosting bars that are about 24" up off the floor. We use deep litter. We put an intermediate roosting bar for them to jump up onto then fly to one of the higher ones, about 10" from the floor. The little buggers go up right under the roof eaves, in the front where there happens to be a 2 x 4. They fight over that prime spot. I have all I can do just to walk away at night and let them duke it out.
But they are, in fact, deciding their pecking order within the flock. They have not asked for my input.

Their nesting boxes are covered with cardboard for now, until they're laying age (20 or so weeks).

For their intro to the new coop, we placed each on one of the roosts, and then let them decide where to go from there. It took them about 2 nights of us going in and physically putting them on the ramp into the coop, before they just starting walking up the ramp to the coop at bedtime themselves. They're smart little critters if you give them the right set up, show them, and let them do their thing. There's usually a straggler.

It's all good. They do need time to adjust to ANYTHING new. Maybe show them what to do a couple times. Now when the automatic ChickenGuard pop door opens right after sunrise, they all come marching and flying out the pop door, as expected.

So that is my recent experience with youngsters. Good luck, I'm sure you and they will get it all figured out. Just like when raising kids, sometimes the hardest part, always the hardest part, is stepping back and letting them do it, even when they make their own mistakes.

 

[welewis]

I have 2 16 week old chickens and 6 chicks waiting a few more weeks to be introduced to the coop.

I’m just curious as to when the 2 16 week olds will know when it’s time for bed? So far, every night I’ve had to pick them up and put them to sleep in their “nesting boxes”

I’ve had them for about a week now so this is all new to me.

For the little ones (who haven’t been in the coop yet, place something they can perch on in their brooder box. Maybe a scrap 2x4 that can be wedged into your brooder. If you can train them in the brooder, they seem to easily adapt to the coop. Not sure what to say about your older ones who are resisting the coop. Although I don’t think they should be encouraged to sleep in their nesting boxes. Good luck!

 

[DanEP]

If all you have is the two 16 week old pullets block off the nest boxes for a couple of weeks till they start roosting just make sure the roost's are higher than the nest boxes. Lock the girls in the coop for a couple of days to let them know this is home.
If their going up the ladder during the day it will be OK.
the one thing you need to know is chicken are kind of like people in their sleeping habits the old folks will go to bed early, but the kids wanna play for just 5 more minutes. With that being the case if they stay out too late the coop may be darker than outside so they don't want to go into the dark. This group of girls I'm raising now were doing this but a small light inside will draw them in without the chasing. A month from now this won't be an issue.

 

[margaretbyrd]

I have 2 16 week old chickens and 6 chicks waiting a few more weeks to be introduced to the coop.

I’m just curious as to when the 2 16 week olds will know when it’s time for bed? So far, every night I’ve had to pick them up and put them to sleep in their “nesting boxes”

I’ve had them for about a week now so this is all new to me.

I've had them learn in one day. I've had some that take a week to learn. These last ones I got learned in a day. Usually for me it is about 3 days so I was pleased. It depends on how smart the chickens are. I'm breeding barred rocks, Americanas and ISA Browns. The stupidest chicken I ever had was a Silkie. Not saying they all are, but that one was. I thought it was the cutest thing ever but bad layer and stupid.

The Barred Rocks lay in hot weather and cold weather both. The ISA browns lay great big eggs and a lot of them. The Americanas are decent layers and I love the colored eggs. If I could only have one it would be the Barred Rocks.

 

[Vicker]

I've raised many new little additions and this year is the first time I had a set that wanted to sleep on the ground. Little by little they started going up to the roosting bar. I think they were just slow to figure out where their place was in the pecking order. I would put them on the roost together, so an old-timer wouldn't mess with them too much. They are full grown now, and every once in I while, I'll have one or two that I find on the ground right in front of the coop and I make them go inside.

 

[Vicker]

I have 2 16 week old chickens and 6 chicks waiting a few more weeks to be introduced to the coop.

I’m just curious as to when the 2 16 week olds will know when it’s time for bed? So far, every night I’ve had to pick them up and put them to sleep in their “nesting boxes”

I’ve had them for about a week now so this is all new to me.

Do they have something to roost on where you have them now? I always put something my chicks can perch on in their brooder, so they usually already have the desire to be up high by the time they go in with the big birds.

 

[lolson69]

Sorry guys, as I stated I’m new to all of this, yes my coop has 3 roosting bars....I wasn’t aware they should sleep on the bars. Tonight I will place them on the roosting bars. I actually don’t have any pictures on the coop on my phone. I will take some tonight. But the roosting bars and the nest boxes are in the same room. From what I read online the chickens should naturally want to sleep on the bars to keep off the ground/floor while sleeping

 

[centrarchid]

I have several groups of chickens arranged in a S-pattern between driveway and barn. All groups show initial interest going to roost at same time. Broody hens with chicks first. Then adult hens and then juveniles. They all give a different call and start moving to roost sites and look up along path they follow getting up to roost.

 

[Glaser Coop]

My girls always go home when it starts to get dark. The other day my wife and I started to clean their house around 745 pm and by 8 it was dark...Well the girls starting jumping on our heads and shoulders. They were like "who called the cleaning crew at dark???"" Man did they yell at us...if they had arms they wouldve slammed the door in our face.

 

[2006powerstroke90]

Just wanted to post an update. The chickens are doing MUCH better. I raised the roosting bars. Resigned the run. They are all sleeping good now and they go in their coop when it’s night time. Life is good