Getting chickens into coop at night.

[EliseH]

How cold is cold? I don't have Silkies so hopefully someone will weigh in with any requirements they have that differ from standard birds.

Since they're using the ramp, the next step is getting them to think of the coop as home, which means you'll need to pick them up and place them inside once it's dark.

In conjunction with both of the above, I'm going to guess your coop is pretty dark inside at sunset and lacking in open ventilation as well, as that is a common issue with prefabs. Chickens cannot see to navigate if it's dark inside, so they won't want to go in, and they need adequate ventilation up high to let moisture and ammonia escape. Depending on your climate, the recommended minimum ventilation is 1 sq ft per standard size bird (so bantams may need a little less) open 24/7.

Bears are pretty tough to predator proof against as anything short of electric can be breached.

Thank you!
We have lots of ventilation in the coop. A roof vent as well as one ventilation at the peak on each side that can be adjusted. As well as gaps where the removable tray is. See photo for vents.
It's been dropping into the 50's at night. If they were fully feathered they could handle it but not lower temps at this age. It will be 48 later in the week.
Yeah, we don't normally have bears but the national forest just did a prescribed burn of a few thousand acres last month. I think they lost their food source or left due to the fires. Hopefully, it went back up there.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Thank you!
We have lots of ventilation in the coop. A roof vent as well as one ventilation at the peak on each side that can be adjusted. As well as gaps where the removable tray is. See photo for vents.

Actually you don't - what's the diameter on that roof vent? Let's say it's 4". That yields 0.087 sq ft. You'd need 12 of them to yield 1 sq ft of ventilation.

Small gaps add very little ventilation. If any gaps are larger than 1/2" they need to be covered with wire mesh or rodents and snakes can get in.

I also don't see enough openings to allow natural light to get inside for the chickens to navigate by, unless the setting sun shines directly into the coop door? Just as you couldn't see to walk around your house in pitch darkness, chickens cannot as well.

What's your climate like, as in year round? Summer heat vs winter cold? You could look into modifying this unit to provide more space and more ventilation by converting the mini run into part of the coop.

 

[EliseH]

Actually you don't - what's the diameter on that roof vent? Let's say it's 4". That yields 0.087 sq ft. You'd need 12 of them to yield 1 sq ft of ventilation.

Small gaps add very little ventilation. If any gaps are larger than 1/2" they need to be covered with wire mesh or rodents and snakes can get in.

I also don't see enough openings to allow natural light to get inside for the chickens to navigate by, unless the setting sun shines directly into the coop door? Just as you couldn't see to walk around your house in pitch darkness, chickens cannot as well.

What's your climate like, as in year round? Summer heat vs winter cold? You could look into modifying this unit to provide more space and more ventilation by converting the mini run into part of the coop.

The entire length of the roof, 36" has a vent as well as the vents on each side top which are 4 1/2 inches. Lots of small gaps around the doors and nesting box roof where it closes. Not big enough for anything to fit through. Our summer average daytime temp is 86° with very low humidity. Nighttime temps in the high 60's. Winter daytime temps are 50°. Last winter we had a few days in the 20's and nighttime temps in the teens.
We actually have a large building on the lower acre that they will move to. We need to jack up the building to make it level, put new floors in and build a divider as we are probably going to get a dairy goat. But for now they are in the coop up by our house.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Pretty moderate climate so that makes it easier to work with.

You didn't mention if you have any natural light inside at sunset (you'll need to confirm that) so if a window is out of the question, at the very least you'll need to artificially light it at sunset to encourage the chickens to go in.

We actually have a large building on the lower acre that they will move to.

Ah so this is temporary, that's good to know.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Our six home-hatched chicks are the worst we've ever had for getting into the big coop! They're over ten weeks old, I think, LONG after previous batches of hatchery chicks would have made the move from brooder pen to big coop, and they just ... wouldn't! We finally had to lock them out of the brooder/ grow-out pen, AND pick them up after dark and park them in the big coop. Honestly, we've never had to baby-sit a batch of chicks like these! Tonight we had to chase them into the run after letting them free range, and two not only got "lost," but they REPEATEDLY refused to follow the others through the gate into the run to the coop. We finally had to capture them and stuff them into the coop like Lost Boys.

 

[EliseH]

Pretty moderate climate so that makes it easier to work with.

You didn't mention if you have any natural light inside at sunset (you'll need to confirm that) so if a window is out of the question, at the very least you'll need to artificially light it at sunset to encourage the chickens to go in.

Ah so this is temporary, that's good to know.

The coop door faces west but the edge of the house blocks the sun from reaching inside. I tried shining a flashlight in there. That didn't help. But right after the sunset we have a sensor light that shines right into the coop if set off but it lights up the run too. So a bit counter productive for getting them in. I had to put them all in again last night. Tonight, I am going to wait and see what happens. I have a feeling I'll have to wrangle them into the coop again though.

Yes, it will take a while for the "barn" to be fixed. I just went in there yesterday to check out the conditions. Fresh Pack Rat dropping everywhere. Eww!

 

[rosemarythyme]

But right after the sunset we have a sensor light that shines right into the coop if set off but it lights up the run too. So a bit counter productive for getting them in. I had to put them all in again last night. Tonight, I am going to wait and see what happens. I have a feeling I'll have to wrangle them into the coop again though.

Can the sensor light be turned off or disabled, even if just temporarily?

Get a battery operated puck light or something similar, that sticks inside the coop, so only the inside of the coop is lit.

 

[EliseH]

Y

Can the sensor light be turned off or disabled, even if just temporarily?

Get a battery operated puck light or something similar, that sticks inside the coop, so only the inside of the coop is lit.

Yes, there's a switch. I do have a puck light. Going to see if some double sided tape is enough to hold it up there. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[EliseH]

I went out at 12:30 a.m. I tried it at 1 a.m. no other lights on. No luck! I'm really hoping tomorrow at Sunset that they will go in with the light on in there. I can hardly fit in there and had a hard time getting out. I even tried putting their food in the coop thinking they would follow. Nope!
So one by one and closing the doors after putting each one in or they would immediately climb back out. Ugh!
So odd because in the morning, they don't want to come out of the coop.
It's 2 a.m. now, I hope they plan on sleeping in! lol
Pics of them FINALLY settled into the coop.

 

[MommaG2023]

They’re all the same age… gonna try these solar Amazon lights otherwise I’ll run a cord and add a timer with a light on it. This is only temporary? Eventually I can remove the lights and they’ll figure it out? What happens in the fall when it gets darker earlier?

I have that exact same light and set it for auto 30 min...when it got dark they would go in because the light comes on when the solar senses it is dusk...now they just go in at bedtime without it on no problem.