Baby chick question

[ahart324]

I have 7 week old chicks that I just moved from the basement to their new coop and run. My question is... how long will it take them to learn to get inside the coop at night? I am getting tired of crawling under the coop to put them inside so that they are safe at night. Also, I see all these post about treats and my chicks seem to only eat their chicken feed.

 

[Kiki]

Try keeping them in the coop only for a couple of days...
so they get to know it, feel safe in it.
Then let them out.

What kind of treats are you giving them?

 

[Whittni]

You should put them there until they learn. Or you can put them in the coop for a couple days provided they have plenty of ventilation, food and water.

 

[Chicken Chat]

I recently went thru this myself, it took mine about 3 days to figure it out.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

They need to be trained, as stated above. Birds will always return to the roosting area they survived in on previous days. What kept them alive yesterday will keep them alive today, so they think. The best thing you can do with chicks is lock them in the coop for a few days, (if it is large enough and has enough ventilation) or if not, use food to round them up before dark and get them into the coop. After they have slept there a while, they will learn this is where they need to go do roost. When they are comfortable with their coop and surroundings, they will stay close.

Good luck with your chicks and welcome to our roost!

 

[drumstick diva]

I think this happens the most when people have a long ramp to the coop at the top, and beneath is their run. They may be reluctant to go up the ramp if it is steep or has no sides to keep from falling off. Or the think the outdoor part is their coop.

A coop on the ground is easy peasy for them they just hop in or out the pop door.

 

[ahart324]

Try keeping them in the coop only for a couple of days...
so they get to know it, feel safe in it.
Then let them out.

What kind of treats are you giving them?

I gave them a sliced apple and some lettuce. They pecked at it for a minute, but then walked away. I guess I'll try to be patient and let them get used to being outside and not crowded in a box. They seemed a little bit easier to get in the coop today.

 

[Kiki]

no need to rush treats on them...their feed should be a complete feed and provide all the good res they need.
They will get to eating treats soon enough.

 

[ahart324]

Their first night in the coop, I thought I killed them all from the weather( it went down to 55 degrees that night), or from shock. I opened the door and no sounds or chicks trying to run out. I opened the clean out door and they were all just laying there no movement or sound. I was almost in tears thinking they were all gone. Finally I poked one with a rake a couple of times and he jumped up and the others started moving around too. I never seen them sleep so soundly inside. Being outside must have worn them out. This morning they were all up and about. Thank God!

 

[Kiki]

Their first night in the coop, I thought I killed them all from the weather( it went down to 55 degrees that night), or from shock. I opened the door and no sounds or chicks trying to run out. I opened the clean out door and they were all just laying there no movement or sound. I was almost in tears thinking they were all gone. Finally I poked one with a rake a couple of times and he jumped up and the others started moving around too. I never seen them sleep so soundly inside. Being outside must have worn them out. This morning they were all up and about. Thank God!

55 is just fine. Don't worry too much.
Make sure you coop is secure though...that is the main thing I see people complain about after putting their chicks outside.
Predators are real and come even though you think your area doesn't have them.It happens every day on this site.