First night out

[NevadaRon]

It's my girls first night out. They are ~6 weeks old. I just went out to check on them (9:30 PM) and they are all huddled together in their run. I put a light in their coop hoping that when it got dark they would head inside. While it was still light out, Twiggy (the smallest, a BO) went up the ramp into the coop, but wouldn't go any further than the door. How do I get them to use their coop?

 

[gritsar]

You may have to physically pick them up and put them in the coop for the first couple of nights.
No matter how well built a run is, they need to be in the coop for their safety.

 

[NevadaRon]

Thank you, Kat. I just put them all in the coop and shut them in. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be

! The food and water is outside in the run. I assume they will be OK for the night? Also I turned off the light - is that a good idea?

 

[CoyoteMagic]

It may take a week, but if you keep putting them in there they will get the idea. I think we all had to do it.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
If you turned the light off and they didn't freak, then its okay. I remember my big birds freaking when we first started turning their light off at night. They got over it.
I keep my food and water in my coop, with extra waterers outside. Reason being, my chickens get up alot earlier than I do. They wake up hungry and thirsty at first light. I wake up and stumble to the coffee pot around 10ish.

 

[PhilErvin]

When I introduced my girls to their new coop I simply locked them in for a week, day and night. They had food and water in with them.
After a week I opened the pop door and let them venture out at their own leasure. They have come back to roost in the coop every night since.

 

[chicknerd]

Quote:
My 9 week old chicks figured it out in about 2 nights. At the same time my ~6 week old chicks took a whole week. Even though the older ones went inside they still insisted on bunching together in the run. I would pick them all up and put them in the coop every night. Last night 2 of the younger ones 'forgot' and I had to put them in. I check around the run every night as they are still young. It got down to 45 last night.

But they do get it, eventually.

Now if they will just figure out what the roost is for!!

 

[NevadaRon]

Quote:
That might be a good idea. This AM I opened the door for them and two hours later they were still inside the coop - now they won't go out

!

 

[NevadaRon]

Quote:
It is supposed to get down to 42 here tonight and tomorrow night. I guess I should put their heat lamp out there

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Hi NVRon

If they are 6 weeks I would not worry about the heat. My youngest, without a broody, are 5 weeks and have no additional heat.





Com' on over to the BYC NV thread - https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=253930 - there are some of us from all around the state.