cold chickens

[cactus-hen]

I have two coops. A 3 open-sided summer coop and a brick barn with one stall converted to a winter coop. In summer the barn is an oven so I move the chickens to the wire coop. It is 8 feet from the barn. Now that the nights are in the low 50's the chickens have moved into the barn. All except for 6 5-month old pullets. Every night I move them into the barn but the next night they go back to the wire coop. I have been moving then for a week now. Should I continue to move them or just let them stay in the summer coop?

 

[monathequeen]

I have two coops also.....a chicken and a duck coop. side by side.

Since they are 5 months old, they are capable of staying warm with eachother.
Let them roost where they are most comfortable.
It's hard to change a birds habits.

It's gotten down to 33 degrees here in Kansas and my 12 week old birds sleep in a large wood box with straw. They are too small yet to put them with the adults.

I check in on them every night and they are always cuddled up next to eachother.
They keep eachother warm and they are doing fine so far. I will need to put them with the adults soon because of the cold temps ahead but I'm trying to hold off for another two weeks.
They are sleeping with the ducks for now.
The ducks seem to be taking over the supervision since mom is back with the others.
What a great life !!!!!!!!!

 

[AZKat]

I'd keep moving them. We had been brooding the chicks in a dog kennel on the back porch, once the coop was built, we took the dog kennel down and started putting them to bed in the coop. Even so, it took almost two weeks of moving them to the new coop every night for them to figure out that the coop was home.

 

[PortageGirl]

I'd either lock them up in the coop you want them to use for several days. (possibly waiting for a stretch of rainy days?) Or block off the summer coop so they are more or less forced to go to the winter one. (less effective IMO expect em to stand outside it in a miserable huddle)

 

[cactus-hen]

The two nights I blocked entry to the summer coop I found them huddled on the ground in the open. Owl bait! I can't lock them in the barn. All my chickens free range and the nest boxes are in that coop. I guess I'll keep trying to get them to relocate. I may also put plywood on the other three sides of the summer coop. A 4x8 sheet will not reach the ground but it will help keep the wind off of them. Thanks for your advice.
Kate

 

[PortageGirl]

Yeah, you'd have to lock them all up, which may upset things a bit, and could be difficult.... I think I'd still block the 'summer coop' during the day so they don't go in there during the day. Then when you opened it up towards evening they'd be easy to gather up and move, and I think if I were home, I'd keep moving them too.

It's pretty amazing what all we do for the silly clucks! I went looking all over the woods the other evening because I thought one was missing... went back in and counted again and 'OOPS!' I'd counted wrong! Duh!

They should get the hang of it in time...

 

[cactus-hen]

So, I guess chickens aren't as dumb as one might think. We are going to have the biggest storm of any October in record. (So the weatherman says). All 6 of the pullets came right into the barn coop with all the other chickens. There was quite a bit of squabbling as they found their positions on the perches, but they all settled down. Chickens continue to surprise me all the time.

 

[PortageGirl]

Very good news... well, good news that they went to the better location, not so good news that the weather's rolling in.