Chickie Babies Won't Put Themselves in at Night

[azygous]

When you first moved them from their brooder into the coop, did you acclimate them by closing them in for at least one entire day and night? Or did you just toss them out into the run and expect them to go into the coop when night came?

If you haven't followed the protocol of acclimating them to their new home, then what you need to do is let them spend a day or two locked inside the coop. This should give them the sense that this is where they will be safe at night, and awaken the instinct in them to return to it each night at dusk.

If you did follow this protocol and the chicks just aren't taking to the coop, you might find it beneficial to repeat it.

Going into the coop at night is instinctual, and you just need to get it cooking.

 

[bcmama]

Nope I just tossed them in and hoped for the best. I thought they would just go in. And tonight I kept the light off and they are screaming their little heads off right now. I do have two of the windows open to give me an excuse to go out later to check on them. About an hour before I put them in all but two were in the coop. The other two were sleeping under the ramp. When I went to put the two in all of the girls came out.

Is it too late to keep them in the coop since I put them in the run/coop on Tuesday and bungled up this whole process?

 

[azygous]

You haven't bungled the process at all. Not to worry!

Just begin tomorrow by making them comfy in the coop as you did in their brooder. Keep them in for at least two days so it really sinks in that they belong there. Leave the light off at night. If they aren't using the roost, place them on it just as it gets too dark for them to see. That way they'll remain on the perch. Repeat the next night and the next until they use the perch on their own.

By the third day, they should be ready to return to the coop by night-fall. If they hesitate, simply place one after the other into the pop hole to show them the way. They should get the idea pretty fast.

 

[bcmama]

Thanks azygous. Do I open the windows in the morning and bring their food into the hen house? Do I feed them extra treats in during the day like I did in the run? Do I need to bring my grit up there for them? Do I only place them on the roost in the evening at dusk or throughout the day? So on day three I open up the pop door and let them out? Yes I am very new. Can't you tell?

 

[azygous]

While they're cooped up for the two days, yes, provide all their food and water in there for them. Visit them often as you did in the run, bringing treats. Don't force them onto the perch. They'll be hopping up on it and down again, trying it out. Let them explore and scratch around, getting to know every nook and cranny of their new home.

At the very last minute, when you can barely see what you're doing, place them all on the roosting perch. If they hop down, gently put them back on. They will stay when they can't see well enough to hop off. Chickens do not like to navigate around structures when they can't see. I always administer this roosting lesson in the brooder a couple days before I move the chicks into the coop. That way they're already comfortable roosting when they move to the unfamiliar new place. But it's not too late to teach them now.

After a couple days in the coop, turn them loose into the run on the morning of the third day. You may have to assist them a little bit that first night going back inside, but it should be a whole lot easier to get them inside than it is now!

 

[bcmama]

Okay, will do and I will let you know how it goes. Thanks for the advice!

 

[azygous]

Good luck! I have no doubts that it will all turn out just fine.

 

[StephanieH]

I think you need to turn the light off.

 

[apronann]

I've had this happen with my young pullets when I first put them in a coop. I wait until they are asleep- well after dark- and I fetch them off the ground and put them into the roosting box. I had to do it several nights in a row before they got it. When I tried to do it at dusk they just piled out into the yard as soon as I put them down. I have a batch now that scream when I turn off the light, too. They eventually go to sleep.

 

[bcmama]

Okay so we are on day two of hen house confinement. So I opened the pop door earlier this afternoon and no one would come out. They would stand in the door but not venture into the run. It wasn't until I went into the run to do some painting that they decided to come out. Now they are piled under the ramp giving themselves dust baths. We will see if they go back in tonight. They should right?

We have had no light for three days and they have done great.