Encouraging young chickens to head into the roost at night

[cmom]

Thanks for all of the suggestions!

I will try placing a battery powered light inside the roost area to encourage the young hens to go up the ramp and in on their own at dusk. I checked on them just a few minutes ago after dark...sure enough they were huddled on the ground again near the ramp, so I placed them in the roost again. They settle down and stay in there (until dawn, they come out on their own) once I put them inside the roost.

I'll keep at it hoping at some point over the next couple of weeks they start going up the ramp on their own at dusk. The entire coop area and run are connected and fully enclosed, the only way in is through a door to the main coop which I keep shut so the youngins get used to it for a couple of weeks before I let them out to free range occasionally. What gets me laughing is the little hens run up and down that ramp all day long, they always stop short though of heading into the fully enclosed roost. If I didn't know any better I'd think there was some sort of chicken repellent sprayed inside that roost!

I tried battery powered lights but they didn't last long but I do have electricity to my coops. I do have nightlights in all of my coops. They are 1 watt LED bulbs. They're not very bright but put out some light. I think the birds get used to them. I also like them so when I look out at the coops at night I can see some light coming from the coops so I know the power is on and my fence chargers are too and if I need to go out to the coops when it's dark I can see somewhat too.

 

[jreardon1918]

For our first flock, when we moved the chicks to the coop, we locked the chicks in the coop for about 4 days. They were about 8 weeks old. This locking in is often recommended and worked in our case. Then we opened the pop door and the chicks eventually came out. We moved the food and water to the run. The chicks/pullets returned each night to the coop.

Our second flock was brooded in the run. They integrated themselves with the hens starting at 4 weeks. By six weeks they were sneaking in to the coop and sleeping on a log. a few weeks later they moved themselves to the roost.
Brooder in covered run - Updated 7/11 Six weeks.

 

[cmom]

When I first open the coop pop door the chicks are hesitant but once they discover the outdoors and I open the pop doors they come running out. I never shut the pop doors on my main coops but they are well protected with good electric wires around them and if anything touches the wires they will hurt for a couple of days. Lesson learned the hard way.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

My coop has five windows, so there’s plenty of light in there. We are at the bottom of a deep creek hollow (or holler for all y’all Appalachians), so the sun is behind the hills by four-thirty or five this time of year and twilight. My adoptive mother, Dottie, and her five three-week old Brahma chicks go to bed around six o’clock and the rest of the Flockers head in a few minutes later. The older hens are my second generation of chickens, so they learned early to come inside from the previous generation. The Brahma chicks are learning from Dot and the rest of the girls, so no problems there either.

 

[ChrisWNY]

The light method still hasn't motivated them to go in on their own. It may be because the light simply isn't bright enough (I used a LED candle which is on a 4 hour timer, comes on at dusk every night). However, over the past couple of days, I do see the chickens on the ramp much more often, sometimes going in and out of the roost on their own during day time hours. They still continue to huddle on the ground at night, which means I'm still tossing them inside the roost at dusk.

I did install a nice little wireless camera inside the coop, and I know these chickens are waking up at 5:08am every morning. Early risers! Posted some screenshots so everyone can have a look at what the inside of the coop looks like...

Wake-up time - all the feather brains are coming down the ramp just after 5am, leaving the roost to head for their feeder and waterer.

 

[McChooky]

When I first open the coop pop door the chicks are hesitant but once they discover the outdoors and I open the pop doors they come running out. I never shut the pop doors on my main coops but they are well protected with good electric wires around them and if anything touches the wires they will hurt for a couple of days. Lesson learned the hard way.

The light method still hasn't motivated them to go in on their own. It may be because the light simply isn't bright enough (I used a LED candle which is on a 4 hour timer, comes on at dusk every night). However, over the past couple of days, I do see the chickens on the ramp much more often, sometimes going in and out of the roost on their own during day time hours. They still continue to huddle on the ground at night, which means I'm still tossing them inside the roost at dusk.

I did install a nice little wireless camera inside the coop, and I know these chickens are waking up at 5:08am every morning. Early risers! Posted some screenshots so everyone can have a look at what the inside of the coop looks like...

View attachment 2704913View attachment 2704914View attachment 2704927View attachment 2704928

 

[McChooky]

Obviously some chickens are more stubborn than others. I bribe mine to go in before dark by giving them a light and treats so I can shut the door. I don't catch them and put them inside anymore.Maybe they've trained me instead?

 

[cmom]

Try letting them get a little hungry and feed them in their coop. I have no issues but they know they are going to be fed. In the evenings I put feed in their feeders and as soon as I move out of the coop, they go in. The next morning when I let them out of their coop, there is still some feed in their feeders so I know they aren't starving but ready to eat when I put them away for the night.

 

[cmom]

I do leave a light on for them. First I shut them in the coop for a couple of weeks with food and water. They think they are hiding.

 

[McChooky]

I had to herd my chickens into the coop at dusk for a week or two. These helped: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-herding-sticks-d.1405967/

Maybe I should try this Lol