Chickens sleeping In run

[chickens r life]

A couple nights ago I walked outside to check on my four 8 week old pullets to find them not in the coop but huddling together In The chicken run. So my question is, if I find them doing that again should I push them back in the coop or should I just leave them be? Also, have you guys aver in counter something like this???

 

[ChickenCanoe]

At that age, they may not want to roost yet. If your run is guaranteed predator proof, leave them be. They like fresh air. If the run has any gaps 1" or larger, make them sleep indoors and lock them up. As creatures of habit, they'll eventually go to wherever they've safely slept before.

 

[Ridgerunner]

That behavior is pretty normal for mine. When I move them from the brooder to my grow-out coop I leave them locked in the coop a week or more before I let them in the run. My grow-out coop is elevated. The first day I let them into the run they practically always go to bed under the pop door in the run. I just start putting them into the coop. They are not hard to catch after dark.

Sometimes they catch on pretty quickly and sometimes they don’t. The group I have right now are the hardest I’ve ever had to get to sleep in the coop. I’ve been doing it every day for two weeks and it has not made an impression on them. Someday the light bulb will come on in their heads and they will put themselves to bed.

What is more normal is that a few start putting themselves to bed but some hold out longer. Normally by one week they are all going in the coop at night. Not this group.

About the funniest thing I’ve seen with this is when I put a group of 16 to bed the first night. The next night I was down just before dark doing something else and they were all starting to group up under the pop door for bed, but when they saw me coming they all put themselves to bed within five minutes. I never had any more trouble with that group. That certainly does not work with my current brood. Each brood is different. Good luck with yours.

 

[Messipaw]

I kept my girls in their coop for a week straight. Then introduced them to the pen. I left the poop door open so they could have full access. Once they started going into the coop on their own and roosting I started to let them free range. I let them out about an hour before dark. The reason for this is so they didn't roam to far. I increased their free range little by little and it all worked out. They always returned to the run about 30 mins before dark then they filed into the coop to roost one by one. Hope this helps.

 

[chickens r life]

Well just found my chickens in the run AGAIN so I put them in the coop and blocked off the run. I plan on keeping them I. There for a week.

 

[drumstick diva]

You might also try leaving a small light on in the coop ( on timer). You could set it for a little before dusk and stay on for 15-20 minutes for them to march in and settle down.
Some chickens and especially babies are afraid to go into a darkened coop. After they start doing it on their own, you have shorten the time light is on, till it stays off.

 

[curious chickee]

With my 6 week old chicks, I fed them in the coop at night and locked them in, then in the morning I fed them outside to make them go the run. If you free fed you can get meal worms or sunflower seeds. Toss them inside the coop to make them go inside then lock them in. In the morning toss the treats in the run to get them out. I did this for three days and now mine tuck themselves in each night and I just lock up before I go to bed.

 

[teria]

Phew! I am so glad I found this thread. I just put my 8 week old flock out in the coop/run a couple of nights ago, and every morning I have found them sleeping on the three tier cat climbing pole in the run (we had it left over and it has three tiers that work out great as places for the girls to roost) so they all huddled together on the second level. My big girl cornish cross was in the coop, nice and warm and cozy, but the others just did not want to be in there. Now that I read the darkened coop may be a scary place for them it dawned on me. I had thought maybe they were cold and since we didn't have the heat lamp on in the coop they may not have seen it as any better than in the run. I put the lamp on this morning, after finding them outside again, and some of them got up and went inside, but, most stayed outside. It was frustrating, but, it was also sun up, so, now it all makes sense. I will try to light on a timer idea with just a regular bulb to see if that entices them, and if that doesn't work, I will have to finish attaching the door to the coop and just shut them inside every night. I just don't want them sleeping out in the rain, which they almost did the first night. We had to physically pull each one out from under the bottom tier and put them in the coop. Otherwise, they would have been soaked and cold.

 

[aforeman]

I had the same issue when I put my 8 week old chicks outside in the run. I went out about dark and found them all huddled in one corner of the run. I put them all back in the coop and locked them in for the night, but had no clue why there were doing that. The next night I went out a little earlier and had to catch them all and put them in. Night 3 they went in a little earlier. Night 4, 8 of the 12 went in on their own and I only had to put 4 in. They seem to be learning quickly.

 

[wlantry]

Same thing just happened to mine. Their first day in the run, after being in the coop for a week. They were all huddled in a corner under the raised coop at dusk, loudly lamenting their fate, and the cruelty of existence. Had to catch them all by hand and pop them back in the coop. Here's hoping they learn quickly!