Coop Training when you can't lock em' in..How to?

[Euphillia]

Ok, so we finally got our coop done and the girls have been able to use it for 3 days now. I cannot lock them in for a week because the temps are mid to upper 90s here.

How on earth do I home them?! They will not walk up the ramp and go into the coop. They go to the top and turn around and go back down. Even bribing them with their favorite treats doesn't work. So I have to catch them and put them in the side door to lock them in overnite. Will they just get it at some point?

Thanks!

 

[centrarchid]

Keep them locked in for about a week so they imprint on coop. Then release only near very end of day and consider confining birds near doorway for a couple days. This hopefully promotes birds find and intering door. Ideally birds will go in an out through even before feeling need to roost.

Age of birds is important.

 

[Euphillia]

It's waaaaaay too hot here to safely lock them in all day. That's the problem.

 

[centrarchid]

Define too hot.

Can you shade coop?

Can you make certain adequate ventilation is present? No need usually for forced air like fan.

Plenty of water at all times?


How old are chicks?

My young birds can handle 110 F for a few hours each day so long as having adequate water, shade and airflow.


EDIT: Just looked at what I suspect is your A-frame coop. You are setup well designed to combat heat. Wet ground all over. Even a piece of tarp over run area will help immensly. Be carefull not to obstruct airflow.

 

[Euphillia]

I have zero shade, no trees. 96+ degrees. The most I could do is run a fan with an extension cord, but I doubt that would be enough. Birds are 15 weeks old and already pant by mid morning in the shade. 110 degrees scares me, could not imagine making them go thru that.

 

[centrarchid]

I have zero shade, no trees. 96+ degrees. The most I could do is run a fan with an extension cord, but I doubt that would be enough. Birds are 15 weeks old and already pant by mid morning in the shade. 110 degrees scares me, could not imagine making them go thru that.

Show a picture of you coop. If you have to put more birds at risk to predators because of heat issues, then a redesign is needed.


Panting is normal heat dissipating response and often first engaged. Birds at 15 weeks are much more heat resistant than adults. Again, make certain they have ample water. Also wet ground below them. The evaporation occuring later will cool air above as well as ground.


I meant no fan needed. Can you place a sheet of something like plywood over coop so that sheet deflects most heat and absorbs much of rest to heat air above rather than coop below. I like to have a nice gap between coop and sheet enabline airflow to take away heating from sunlight. Position so sun is blocked during hottest part of day basically from 12:00 to 5:00 PM

EDIT: Just looked at what I suspect is your A-frame coop. You are setup well designed to combat heat. Wet ground all over. Even a piece of tarp over run area will help immensly. Be carefull not to obstruct airflow.

 

[Euphillia]

Hey thanks for that. I was just afraid of the heat and I don't want to lose my birds. I am going to go out there and work on that today.

 

[laturcotte1]

Also a thought. Put a light in the coop when it gets darker outside than inside they may go in (OR PUT THEM IN) and if they go in and its darker outside they won;t go back out until it gets light. They will catch on. If you don't have electricity heres a trick. Take a couple solar lights you may have in a garden or walkway just when you want them to go in place the lights in the coop like in a corner or something by the time the lights go out they should be roosting. Hope this helps, the heat is awful!!