Corralling Chickens

[Dirt Girl 1964]

we have (12) 7-week-old chicks. They are very friendly (we have had them since they were born). They are in their coop at night and out roaming around during the day. What's the trick to getting them back into the coop at night without chasing each one around and around the coop?

 

[Kikiriki]

I'm training mine by rattling treats in a can and they get them only in the coop..we'll see how that works!

I tested the common wisdom that they take themselves to bed at night, and it was true for my three youngun's. But still, sometimes you want them in before they decide it is time, so bribery is the route I'm going!

 

[BusyBlonde]

My chicks are 4 weeks old, and I am training them to go into their brooder when I want them to by giving them dried meal worms. I started giving them the meal worms so they'd stop running from me; now that they know what I have when I rattle the container, they come running! I don't have any trouble putting them to bed anymore.

 

[bubblesgigi]

im having the same problem. my chicks are spending their third night out in the coop. i finished the coop saturday and built the ramp sunday. well sunday evening they were all cuddled up at the coop gate at dark. i picked everyone up and poked them all in the lil chicken hole. So tonight....I turned a lamp on in the coop so they might notice the light thru the lil chicken hole and go in. Nope, they were cuddled up at the coop gate again. So i picked them all up and poked them in the hole again. Tommorrow, I'm going to try shaking a treat from inside the lil chicken hole and see if they will come up the ramp while someone else shuts them in behind them.

 

[RedDrgn]

We never had this problem with our chickens, but we started taking them out to their coop and run when they were one week old. By the time we moved them in permanently (at 4 weeks old), the coop and run were old hat to them; familiar territory. No fuss and no muss.

The very first night we had our out, they started their usual loud chirping at dusk. Instead of boxing them up and taking them back to their brooder, though, we collected them and put them into the coop (and shut the door). They peeped and cheeped and screamed for about 10 minutes, but once darkness really fell, they were silent.

The next morning, we let them out and kept them in the run all day and they did fine. When dusk came, they went into the coop on their own and have been doing so ever since.

 

[nanama]

where can I find dried mealworms?