Chickens Confused or Me?

[Garagedude]

I have 6 Buff Orbingtons that are 5 weeks old. I moved them from a brooder to their coop but left it
inside my garage due to cold weather. I have lights on a timer in the garage to match outside sunrise/sunset. They go in and out of the coop using the ramp a lot during the day but at night I find them in a huddle at the bottom of the ramp or sometimes 3 on the ramp and the rest inside the coop. Sometimes I move the feeder inside the coop and they will go inside and eat but they just don't stay inside the coop when its night time. How do I get then on track to go to bed?

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

You will have to either put them in the coop and keep them in there for a few days or put them up in it every night for a few days or weeks until they figure it out. Without an adult hen to show them where to sleep they are just going to sleep in a pile like they have been in their brooder. Congratulations, you’re a mama hen!

 

[dearmeghann]

They're super clever, but sometimes need guidance from us. I would move them into the coop and close the door at night, every night. Eventually, they'll understand. Depending on your roost height, I would also move them to the roosting bar to show them what they're supposed to do.

We have a diva buff orpington who hates jumping up on the roosting bar. We created a smaller one to act as a step, and that helped some. She's gotten into the habit of waiting for dad to come pick her up every night haha!

 

[Garagedude]

You will have to either put them in the coop and keep them in there for a few days or put them up in it every night for a few days or weeks until they figure it out. Without an adult hen to show them where to sleep they are just going to sleep in a pile like they have been in their brooder. Congratulations, you’re a mama hen!

Would you put feed/water/grit in there with them or let them wait until next day to get to food, etc.?

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Would you put feed/water/grit in there with them or let them wait until next day to get to food, etc.?

You can do it that way, yes. I haven’t done it that way before but I know some people do. I usually opt for manually putting them into the coop at night without food, etc and locking it up, letting them out the next morning and repeat. As soon as one gets the hang of it the rest will start to follow.

 

[ChaosMom]

You can do it that way, yes. I haven’t done it that way before but I know some people do. I usually opt for manually putting them into the coop at night without food, etc and locking it up, letting them out the next morning and repeat. As soon as one gets the hang of it the rest will start to follow.

Agree! Chickens don’t eat at night. They just sleep and poop out everything they ate all day.

This is very useful, because not having feed in the coop avoids attracting vermin.

I do make sure that they have feed available about two hours before sunset so that they can top up their tanks.

 

[Ridgerunner]

How do I get then on track to go to bed?

I go through this a lot at the same age, but my coop is outside so they get natural light. It gradually gets dark, not like a light going on and off.

My brooder raised chicks typically don't roost on their own until they are 10 to 12 weeks old. Broody raised chicks are different, they roost when Mama says to. I've had some brooder raised chicks start around 5 weeks, some go a lot longer than 12 weeks, but 10 to 12 is a good average. I personally do not put them on the roosts to train them like some people do but let them find their way up there on their own. Nothing wrong with training them, I just don't bother.

My grow-out coop is also raised. When I let them into the run they basically pile up under the pop door instead of going inside to sleep. So every night at bedtime I lock them in the coop. I typically have around 20 chicks. If it is dark enough they can be pretty easy to catch to toss inside. I had one group that went into the coop on their own the day after I moved them all inside. I've had two groups that it took 3 weeks before they all went in on their own. Most of the time a few start going in on their own after a couple of nights and they are all in after about a week but each group can vary a lot.

I've tried locking them in the coop section only for a week before I let them out. It seems to help them learn to go in on their own a little quicker but I still have to go through the process. it works for some people, just not me.

Would you put feed/water/grit in there with them or let them wait until next day to get to food, etc.?

Some of us feed and/or water in the coop only, some only outside. Some of us provide food and water both places. We all have our own reasons for what we do. I often have different ages in my flock and use widely separated food and water stations so the juveniles can eat and drink without being bullied. I often do not open the pop door until 9:00 AM so I want food and water in with them while they are waiting. You are in a totally different situation than I am. Your reasons apply to you, not mine.

 

[Garagedude]

You can do it that way, yes. I haven’t done it that way before but I know some people do. I usually opt for manually putting them into the coop at night without food, etc and locking it up, letting them out the next morning and repeat. As soon as one gets the hang of it the rest will start to follow.

Tonight I had 3 inside the coop and 3 outside the coop. If I keep food away from them I can get all inside but there's no way I could crawl inside the coop to get them. Hopefully they will figure it out soon.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Tonight I had 3 inside the coop and 3 outside the coop. If I keep food away from them I can get all inside but there's no way I could crawl inside the coop to get them. Hopefully they will figure it out soon.

They will. Especially now that some have figured it out.