Chickens not going to bed if people are outside near dusk

[DonyaQuick]

Oh man my chickens actually made me wonder if this was solved for a couple days, and then I went out tonight and only my no-depth-perception chicken Dingus put herself to bed. Five out! I kept it dark except for in the coop this time when the door opened, so Dingus had to stay in there and couldn't join the party outside. And a certain meep-meep bird called Chungus got progressively more excited and meepy in the dark as I was loading chickens into the coop getting closer to picking her up in the line. Meep. Meep meep. MeepmeepmehooOOOOO! What can you do though with a chicken that gets so excited for that hug...if you don't hug it you've got no soul. Chungus was also the hardest to make go to bed back in their chick days, but she did do it eventually so I have hope yet.

It also seems that if I get in the car and drive off near dusk, they go "oh she's leaving, well whatever then" and they all go to bed perfectly. But I did not drive off today and they knew.

As far as adding light inside their run and coop in hopes of enticing them inside, maybe try using a red bulb. (Not a heat bulb, just a red landscaping type bulb). Chickens don't perceive red light as Day light, even though they can still dimly see. I have a headlamp with a red bulb, and when I go into the coop after dark using the red bulb, the hens stay put. If I enter using white light, some never fail to hop off their roosts for an after-dark snack.

Hmm...I did wonder if my going to out to check on them with a light was somehow reinforcing the idea that it isn't actually night time until I've been out after dark. I've just been using a regular flashlight. I should be able to at least get some red film to put over the flashlight I use to tint it so it's not so daylight looking; I have had issues before with the flashlight causing a stir of activity in the coop if I accidentally shine it in. I do go out every single night after dark to check that all's well (both to ensure they're to bed and that I locked it all up properly) so they will know that routine by now.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

I’m afraid I’m not much help as mine go up pretty well on their own. Even in the dark but I do have a funny story about when I hatched a bunch of Roos that I kept in a separate pen during the day. My original bachelor pen just held three extra roosters who stayed in a separate pen during the day and I had trained to put themselves up at night. I just had to open the coop door and their pen and up they would go. Even if it was like 1am. Well I hatched out 22 chicks this spring and ended up 12 too many roosters who were added to the bachelor pen. Well they were idiots. I started trying to train them to go up at night like the year old roosters and unfortunately they kept seeing their shadow in the moonlight or flashlight and would chase it until they face planted into the dirt.... or ran into the fence.... or a tree..... or each other......
All 12 of them.... it’s one of the most chaotic things I’ve ever seen.

 

[AntiqueB]

I love both this story, and your chickens' names!

I find mine like to mill about with me, having a bedtime snack, and some conversation before they march off to bed -- when it's just getting dark. If I wait too long to go out there, I find all 4 roosting wherever, waiting for me. Then I have to manually put them to bed.

I suppose if I have any advice, it's to go out when they're just thinking of bedtime. Or maybe to say I have the same problem! And also to enjoy basking in their love and companionship!

 

[DonyaQuick]

Had two out again yesterday. It's been so overcast that my solar lights are still dead, and today was a cold snap - enough of a change that I didn't want to risk having anybody out after dark this time. So, I just went out with barely enough natural light left to see and moved everyone into the coop like back in the baby days. Sooooo much chicken happiness.

Well I hatched out 22 chicks this spring and ended up 12 too many roosters who were added to the bachelor pen. Well they were idiots. I started trying to train them to go up at night like the year old roosters and unfortunately they kept seeing their shadow in the moonlight or flashlight and would chase it until they face planted into the dirt.... or ran into the fence.... or a tree..... or each other......
All 12 of them.... it’s one of the most chaotic things I’ve ever seen.

That's amazing

 

[DonyaQuick]

Brand new interesting issue: I put everyone to bed again tonight the baby way...and one of them somehow goes and does this with her butt and refuses to move. The door has been closed all day; I don't know how she managed to fit feathers through such a tiny gap.

 

[DonyaQuick]

Since the weather has forced me into manual bed time each night, I've noticed two things. The first is that Dimple does actually try to get the others to go up the ramp to bed; only a couple respond to it though and the others are still fixated on hugs. Dimple usually goes in first by herself, pokes her head out and makes some noise, hops back out and circles around the nearest chicken, up the ramp again, and repeat until they're all in. Maybe Dimple will get better at the roll over time.

The second thing I've noticed is that Chungus surely has to be my main instigator of the outside sleeping pattern. She basically has to go in last or she just hops back out again for more hugs....which is how it was before when everyone was learning to sleep in the coop the first time around. But if I can get her into the coop first, even for at least a little while, the others start to go in on their own and don't have to be put there. I think Chungus is top of the pecking order in most situations (as far as I can tell anyway), so not a huge surprise that others don't want to go to bed if she doesn't. And yes, she is a spoiled chicken. Here she is on a brief trip into the house to eat blueberries like a good, sassy, spoiled chicken.

 

[DonyaQuick]

Over a month later...they have all gone to bed without me driving away or putting them in the coop manually. Fingers crossed they do it again tomorrow. I was getting worried that the bedtime training was actually getting worse rather than better since I had several that had figured out they could prolong the process by needing just one more sip of water - oh and one more food pellet too. Oh yes now we need a sip of water. And another tiny food pellet...wait that one was too big, it has to be the right size...going to bed? No can't do that, we need to drink exactly one drop of water now. I guess today they realized I was tired of that routine and was just going to go back to putting stragglers to bed in the inky darkness if they stayed out lol.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

I was getting worried that the bedtime training was actually getting worse rather than better since I had several that had figured out they could prolong the process by needing just one more sip of water - oh and one more food pellet too. Oh yes now we need a sip of water. And another tiny food pellet...wait that one was too big, it has to be the right size...going to bed? No can't do that, we need to drink exactly one drop of water now. I guess today they realized I was tired of that routine and was just going to go back to putting stragglers to bed in the inky darkness if they stayed out lol.

That all sounds Exactly like little kids doing everything they can think of to delay lights out before bedtime.

 

[DonyaQuick]

Well, things are back to being quite weird with getting my chickens to go to bed on their own. Success was fleeting once again. Chungus is now throwing bedtime tantrums and making everyone else confused about the bedtime routine as she goes here and there and now over there and then someplace else. Everyone else will go roost in the coop happily if I'm there and get them started up the ramp, but Chungus is all over the place, wants endless hugs, and even escaping the whole enclosure running up the short path to the front door of the house (always straight to the house - not just running amok). Once I've navigated all of those shenanigans, she will give up and stay in the coop once I've set her inside...but then she cries something awful and scratches at the coop door as soon as it closes. She doesn't stop until she hears me open the front door to the house to go back in. She's the only one that does this instead of lining up to roost, and I know nobody is bullying her. I can't think it was a predator scare either since that surely would have affected more than just her. It's like she wants to go sleep in the house, not the coop. She's been wanting to go in the house a lot lately, not just at night.

 

[fargosmom]

I’m not clear from your description - are they in an enclosed run, or it it just the coop in your yard so they have total access?
If they’re in an enclosed run, I would try some tough love (as long as they’re safe from predators overnight). Instead of putting them to bed, leave them to their own devices. In addition, make a point of being active around them at dusk and COMPLETELY ignoring them. No eye contact, no treats, no interaction. 100% ignore. If you quit rewarding them for coming out after they’ve gone to roost, perhaps they’ll learn to stay settled. Maybe even increase your activity level around them at that time, with the consistent cold shoulder - in time they may learn that you+dusk does NOT =cuddling and attention.
On the other hand if they’re exposed to danger if not in the coop by dusk, throw BOSS in the coop at bedtime and shut the door. And ignore them if they’re fussing after that.
Or just enjoy having loving hens who have you wrapped around their tiny toes.
Good luck!