Bedtime

[crc062362]

Hello All, My chicks are about 7 weeks old now and I think are doing very well, however at dusk they all seem to find their way back into their coop/run and all huddle together in the one corner of the run and I have to, one by one put them up in their coop for the night. In the morning they all "explode" out of their coop like they haven't seen the light of day for weeks. When do they start to go into the coop on their own? Everyone I have talk to say that as soon as the sun goes down their hens generally put themselves to bed, not mine. Any comments? Thanks, Craig

 

[chickenlovex3]

it depends on the chicken.i have one chicken who used to put herself to bed every night, but after she lost her sisters, she waits on our back door step every night and pecks the window, signaling to us she wants to be put to bed. our other 2 chickens either wait on the air conditioning fan thingy or go in the coop themselves. but every morning, all 3 of my chickens start swaking right after they hear me come downstairs and when i let them out they too "explode out of the coop like they havent seen the light of day for weeks". maybe thats just a chicken thing, idk

 

[edenbobeden]

My chickens are about 9 weeks old and have recently decided to put their self to bed they just go up the coop ramp and fall asleep . I would say it just depends on the chicken it's self.. Hope that helps

 

[Den in Penn]

Chicks can take a while to put themselves to bed, just like children. If you were starting with nearer adult chickens they would figure it out more quickly. Just keep putting the chicks to in. They eventually get the idea.

 

[daisy06]

Maybe give them a nights in the cage before letting them out? I always do that with any new chickens. I make them stay in the cage for a night or two so they know where to sleep and then I let them out. After that they usually go to bed where they're supposed to. But younger ones do tend to find other places to sleep. I had 2 cockerels and 1 pullet that would always fly up into a tree instead of going in with the others.

 

[feather13]

We have five pullets that haven't started laying eggs yet. So far, when one takes the initiative to settle in the coop for the night, the rest follow, even the two new additions. Our enclosed coop/egg boxes have a sliding door, so it's easy to shut them in for the night anyway. Is there any way you could catch them, then enclose them in the coop for a few nights to "train" them?

 

[nuttyboo]

Our 4 week olds take the initiative and go inside at 8:30 but my 8 week old no way I have felt all week like the crazy chicken lady trying to herd chickens, so last night I went in house ignored them for an extra 30 minutes go out and they all were huddled in their corner, mine don't like their roosting bars at night yet they'll use them through the day but still like the huddle at night. So I think tonight I'll give them the extra half hour maybe their trying to say Ma it's to early LOL

 

[aatx]

We moved ours to the coop at 5 1/2 weeks old and kept them mostly confined inside it from Saturday night until the following Saturday morning. That first weekend we chased them back inside the coop when WE got ready to go inside and then let them do it on their own after that. The first night or two, we had some pileups on the ramp, but since then we've been all good. When I check at 8:45, they've all been inside the coop and on the roosts. They are now 7 weeks old, all bantams, 17 of them.

 

[Clark Family]

My girls, and 2 crazy ducks put themselves in there coop. I will shut the run door, and go back out after dark and they are all in their house. I close that door and tell them goodnight. I get chirp chirp, and quack quacks.

 

[rabbid]

My chicken can't sleep until we sing here a song like : I have a baby chick I love with all my heart: and she will fall asleep like that