Do you coop them in the coop?

[goingloopy]

I had chickens several years back and they were raised from chicks. But today I’m bringing home 10 hens that are 10 months old. We have a coop and a fenced area. Do I need to keep them contained in the coop for a period of time to help them realize that’s their “home” or do I just let them out in the run and then trust will they come in at night? I feel like I read something about this once on BYC, but it may been for free range chickens...

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Absolutely. They need to get comfortable in their new home. You can let them out for a little while each day to get some fresh air, but most of their days should be in the coop for the first few days.
Best wishes and Be well!

 

[Mrs. K]

If the run is attached to the coop, I would put them into the run, mid afternoon. Sometimes it helps to have a light on inside the coop, and as it gets dark, they will probably go in on their own. Sometimes if you have an elevated coop, some birds can have problems with the ramp.

Technically speaking, the coop should be the best place to be at night, and chickens recognize that and go there at dark. Might need a little help one or two nights, but other than that they should be good to go.

Most coops are smaller, than the run, and I think the space is important. I would wait a week before I let them outside the coop/run set up.

Mrs K

 

[aart]

I would keep them confined to coop for at least a couple-few days.
Hopefully your coop is big enough and well ventilated enough that they won't overheat.
Does your run have a roof to keep them in?
Pics of your coop and run might help here.

Also....Welcome Back to BYC! @goingloopy
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[Ridgerunner]

I'll throw out my opinion. We all have different set-ups and experiences so we have different opinions. So you will have ten pullets that are ten months old. At that age they should be roosting, laying, and acting like adults., not immature chicks. If your coop is big enough for ten hens I'd expect a walk-in coop, probably pretty close to ground level. Hopefully fairly big.

You can try it both ways. If you put them in the run they might or might not go into the coop at night on their own. If they don't, wait until after dark and they settle down somewhere to physically lock them in the coop section. If it is dark enough down there they should be pretty easy to catch. If you have a lot of light you might be able to sell tickets watching you try to chase down chickens. So, yeah, how much light you have down there might factor into my decision. I often have to put my chicks in the coop at night when I move them to the grow-out coop. It's generally pretty dark down there but some full moon nights can be fun.

If your coop is big enough to leave them in there for a few days? To me that's an advantage of having a coop bigger than the bare minimum. You can leave them in there for a few days until they are used to using those roosts before you let them in the run. Once they are used to sleeping on the roosts they'll probably return there every night. Another advantage of leaving them locked in the coop only is that they are less likely to hide a nest in the run when they are looking for a new place to lay.

A third option is to put them in the coop before it gets dark. Maybe you can lure them all in with food. Or you can try herding them in. Depending on how you are set up that might not be too hard.