Chicks freak out at dusk

[BethMatt]

Hi I am new to chickens just this year my first flock is just around 6 weeks old, they have settled into their coop just fine & love the run, but at dusk this all changes, they RUN out of the coop (my guess is because it's darker in the coop than out side at this time) I have to coax/ corral them in every evening, am I mistaking, shouldn't they know to roost BEFORE it's too late to see anything? What should I do? I have a heat lamp for the nights it gets really cold but I don't want to have it on the all night every night. I watch my neighbors chicks & they go in a dark coop at dusk no problem every evening. Any help/ advice would be great.

 

[Judy]

Your coop needs to have a source of natural light so that it gets dark slowly in there. Sounds like you need to cut a hole. If it's that dark, I wonder if it's ventilated well enough, too. They need about 1 sq ft of ventilation each, as a rule of thumb.

 

[BethMatt]

We have a 6 x 8 Amish made coop with two windows above the nesting boxes, we have 6 chicks with more than enough room, I have food & water in the coop. You might be right about the lighting though, the way it's sitting it is not facing sunrise or sunset...I will try a solar light before I cut a hole though, my husband would have a cow! Thank you.

 

[centrarchid]

If solar light used, use a lower wattage bulb. Too much light can cause birds to remain active.



Would it be practical to place feeder outside of coop yet away from run perimeter? That can keep predators from trying to go straight into the coop.

 

[BethMatt]

**Update on this, I tried a $3. solar light near the window, which gave of very little light, but a little after dusk (would have liked to see them go in earlier, but it's possible they couldn't see the light right away) they WENT IN BY THEMSELVES

 

[Judy]

Hopefully in a week or two you can remove the light and they will still go in on their own. Mine start wandering in after dusk, at various times.

 

[BethMatt]

Hopefully in a week or two you can remove the light and they will still go in on their own.  Mine start wandering in after dusk, at various times.

Yes that is my hope!!