Getting the babies used to their coop -- suggestions?

[L3Home]

Yesterday hit about 80 in Yakima and the night only got down into the 50's, so I finally tried the girls in their coop... the oldest few are about 9 weeks old and the youngest two are 5 weeks or so. The youngest have always snuggled with the older ones, so I figured they'd be okay.

I did take a drop-light and put a 25-watt incandescent red light bulb in it, and zip-tied it high up in the coop, to add a little warmth and to help them feel more at home (more brooder-like).

The only thing is, they still haven't quite figured out the ramp. I left them in the bottom run area during the day (I've been giving them "day-trips" for a few days now); they've figured out the grass just fine. They love running around down there. They even investigated the ramp, climbed up it and poked their head into the coop a few times. But when it started getting dark, they got all distressed, and they couldn't figure out where to go, even when I tried to prompt them and lure them upstairs. I finally had to climb into the run and one-by-one scoop them up and put them into the coop.

They slept there just fine, and this morning I found one of the oldest chicks down in the run, but the others were all still upstairs. I got my friendliest, Ida, to come down the ramp by calling to her from outside the run, but the others wouldn't come down. I decided to leave them up there, hoping the two in the run would somehow coax them down while I'm at work...

But does anyone have suggestions for getting chicks used to a coop? Or is this normal? Will they figure it out, and am I stressing over nothing? Or are my chickens brain-damaged?

 

[countrygirl16]

My chickens did that exact same thing for a while but they got used to it.

 

[sonjap]

Treats! I held mealworms up at the ramp entrance and that got them up there fast!

 

[L3Home]

Thanks for the replies! I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who's had some issues with the ramp -- I guess chickens, being forest animals, don't encounter too many ramps in the wild.

I got home from work and all of the girls are happily scratching around in the bottom of the run, so I guess they figured out how to get outside! Now, we'll see what happens tonight when it gets dark again...

 

[JiJis hens]

I put the dominant one up there and the rest follow her.

 

[L3Home]

I'm not certain who the dominant pullet is, yet. Ida seems to be the boldest, but since they don't really squabble, and don't really peck at each other, I haven't gotten a good read on who's at the top of their order, yet. They actually get along fairly well. Unless one jumps up on a roost and lands on another, or someone jumps onto another one's back and slides off, they don't tend to squawk at all, really. I'm sure that'll change as they establish their order, but so far it's been nice and quiet in my little flock.

 

[2Old2Crow]

This reads like it's my post!! This happened last night with my 7+ week olds. They were distressed for about 15 minutes and figured it would set us back in the friend making arena if it went any longer, so my wife went in the run and shoved 'em through the door. Much to their disapproval. They'll figure it out. It's not like their chicken or something!

 

[crchickens]

I read that if you put a bright light in the coop, at night they will naturally want to go in there, so when we move ours over, I am going to try that.

 

[L3Home]

This morning they're out in the run again, but last night they again didn't know to go up the ramp. This time I let them alone until it was totally dark, to see if they could figure it out and instead, they gave up and all plopped down in a feathered clump under the coop (in the area that is fenced off underneath it) in the corner. So this time I picked up each bird and put them halfway up the ramp and kind of bumped them on the bottom to urge them to walk up the ramp and into the coop, instead of putting them all the way inside.

I have a red lightbulb in there (for a little heat and for light) but they totally ignore it. It must not be bright enough.

Maybe tonight I'll put my flashlight in there so they can see its beam coming from inside, see if that helps, and then take it back out once they're in.

 

[RonC]

Had my run built before the coop and would let mine out in it during the day and bring them back in to the brooder at dark, First night they were all huddled by the gate wanting to come inside to the broooder, and placed a couple of them in the broder and the others followed. Second night they were at the gate again, I stood by the door to the coop and showed them the door and a couple of them jumped up on the ramp and then went in and the rest followed. They march right in at dark on their own. There is a light in the coop that I turn off before I go to bed so maybe that does help, Forgot to turn the light on last night and they went in anyways but they've been in the coop for a couple of weeks now.