Chicks not putting themselves up at night

[rosemarythyme]

I do leave the windows open during the day, I don’t close them until night. I have not added a light inside, I’m willing to try it though as well as prop the ramp up.

Your chicks are well old enough to stand a little breeze, so don't close up that side door unless you have no choice (i.e. the opening facing oncoming winds, for example, due to where you placed it). Not sure if that coop has any other ventilation? Actually I'd add more openings if at all possible - the type and placement will depend on your wind direction(s) and general temps/climate. For safety you'd need to reinforce any additional vents with hardware cloth or small opening welded wire, and/or cover them with louvered vent covers screwed in place.

 

[Maddmim]

There is one window on the backside, small, I do close that too. I’ll start leaving it open. I have reinforced the run with hardware
Cloth but not the windows, I will do that tomorrow. I close it up to keep them safe but sounds like that may not be the best thing to be doing.

 

[rascal66]

Like this???

Lol...

For me, its about patience. I have older hens and just introduced my 2month chicks into the coop. They don't go into the coop by themselves, nor do they roost. I usually have to put them in the coop manually myself. (The coop is raised so they would have to jump, but not too high).

In time they will learn though. They see the older hens and they get the hint when they are a little older.

In your case, just keep manually putting them where they need to be. Soon it will click to them that once it's dark, this is the sleeping spot. I actually have the same coop as you but in red. My chicks were stubborn too... Just keep trying and lock them up at night. I don't know if its needed to leave the water and food in there, but hopefully with routine and repetition, they will learn. Good luck

 

[starri33]

Like this???View attachment 1760171

Lol...

For me, its about patience. I have older hens and just introduced my 2month chicks into the coop. They don't go into the coop by themselves, nor do they roost. I usually have to put them in the coop manually myself. (The coop is raised so they would have to jump, but not too high).

In time they will learn though. They see the older hens and they get the hint when they are a little older.

In your case, just keep manually putting them where they need to be. Soon it will click to them that once it's dark, this is the sleeping spot. I actually have the same coop as you but in red. My chicks were stubborn too... Just keep trying and lock them up at night. I don't know if its needed to leave the water and food in there, but hopefully with routine and repetition, they will learn. Good luck

Your babies look like the ones I currently have in my look but don't touch crate, they all ball up in one corner.. I've put perches for them in the crate, seen them using it during the day, but at night when I check on everyone, they are all huddled up.

 

[DanEP]

Yong birds are like kids, they just wanna stay out for 5 more minutes mom. you might try a light in the coop right at dark. Quite often they will run into the coop for the light but will avoid it if it's darker than outside as they can't see very well in the dark.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Thanks for the photo of the coop, that helps.

I've seen a broody hen get her 2-week-old chicks to fly up higher than that to get to the roost. Unless you have Silkies that can't fly or maybe something else exotic, your 8-week-olds could get up there without the ramp if they wanted to bad enough. Still, that ramp is pretty steep. Putting a block under the end is a good idea. Or you could toss that ramp and build a stairway for them out of cinder blocks or something similar. It is possible it is too dark for them to see in there, a light at bedtime might help.

Mine behave like yours when I put them in my grow-out coop/run whether I keep them isolated in the coop section for a week or not. Mine is also an elevated coop, I generally don't have these issues with a coop on the ground. At night mine gather in a group in the run to settle down to sleep until I train them to go into the coop. I generally put mine in the grow-out coop/run when they are 5 weeks old, yours are already 8.

The way I train them is just like you are doing, lock them in the coop after they try to settle down at night. My broods are usually in the 20 chick range, so more than yours. I once had one full group go into the coop after doing that only once. Once I had to do that every night for three weeks before the last three finally started going in on their own. What typically happens is that some start going in on their own after a couple of nights and by 7 to 10 days they are all going in on their own but each brood is different. You only have five so they may do things more as a group than my larger broods. I keep food and water in the coop and in the run so that isn't a worry. They are not going to starve or dehydrate.

This is just a guess but I think the coop being elevated is a part of the problem. Until they start to sleep on roosts their instinct is to sleep on the ground under a broody hen. Without a broody they still like to sleep in a group. So they like to sleep someplace low. you can train them to sleep in the coop but that goes a bit against instinct. Once they start to roost at night they switch to wanting to sleep up high.

I've had some brooder-raised chicks start roosting at 5-1/2 weeks in my grow-out coop, just a couple of days after I moved them out there from the brooder. I've had some go much longer. Each brood is different. Typically they start roosting on their own around 10 to 12 weeks. I think how the coop and roosts are built affects that too. I've had broody hens take their chicks to the roosts much younger and much higher than your coop so they can get up there, they just don't want to unless the broody tells them to.

You can play with that ramp or put steps, it might help but I really don't think that is your basic problem. Having a low-level light inside when it is getting dark might help. But basically I suggest you keep doing what you re doing, put them in each night until they get the message.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

I put my chickens out about 4 days ago and they still do not know how to go up the ramp, fly to the roost, and go to sleep. I go in every night and show them the way. One of them is kind of learning....it just takes patience.

 

[Maddmim]

Thank you! A friend I think gave me unrealistic expectations, she told me her chickens got it after 2 days and it’s the only natural thing chickens know how to do. So inevitably, I feel like a failed chicken mama that they haven’t got it yet. I feel better knowing this isn’t abnormal.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I use a coop like that as a brooder. Last fall I had 13 CornishX chicks in there. At 4 weeks old they were running up the ramp constantly. At 6 weeks old, they filled the coop entirely at night- it was a solid seas of white feathers with 13 heads popping up when I opened the nest box to see how the heck they all fit in there. They were in a barn stall and had a 8x10 area that they could sleep in, but they all squeezed into that tiny little coop, lol. It was my intention to move them out into a tractor for more room, but stuff happens.

I would prop the end of the ramp up on a cinder block to help them though.
Your best bet is to get a light on a timer that goes on just before dusk and gives them about an hour or so of light to get settled down for bedtime. For a small coop like that, a solar powered light would probably work.

For my coop, the light goes on in the evening and the chickens file into the coop. We have very short days in winter time, so I add light during the winter months to keep the chickens laying. And during the summer, the light gets them to go into the coop in the evening.

 

[Mrs. K]

To help you put them in the coop, set a box up in the run, often times they will huddle in the box, then pick the box up and put it in the coop.