Go inside at night for goodness sake!

[buddymc]

The girls have been in the new coop / run for about a week now. Each morning they are waiting at the door to be let out. The first few days I had to physically move them outside. Now they all run out the door to face the day.

However, each night I am having to go an take them one at a time and put them back into the coop. When I go out a dusk, they are all huddled up together in a corner of the run.

How do I teach them to go inside at night so I can just go out there and lock them up.

 

[teach1rusl]

Put a small light (maybe 40W) inside the coop. Turn it on about 30-60 minutes before nightfall, and turn it off after dark. As it gets darker outside, they will be attracted to the safety of the light inside. Hopefully you'll only have to do this for a week or two...
If you don't have electricity available, get one of those battery operated push lights. Or you could even use a flashlight... It's always worked for my birds.

 

[Sparklee]

Quote:
X2

I face a little flashlight against a wall so that it gives just a little light. I think the most it's taken is two nights with adult chickens. I'm having a bit more trouble with the little 8? week old chicks.

 

[Niss]

I have two red heat lamps in the coop--will this be enough? Should I turn the porch light off?
I frequently have to put the second half in one at a time. There is a large spruce next to the coop and they like to hide under there.

 

[Sparklee]

Ah, the porch light! Yes. Off with it!

At least until they get used to going to their roost at night.

In the past, I have had chicks head toward a white lightbulb clamped to a post in the chicken house thinking they could get heat from it while ignoring the red brooder lamps of 250W that are providing the real heat under the brooder hover. From what I understand, chicks are drawn to the light that seems the most like the sun, so that's why I put a white light and a red light under the brooder hover now and don't keep any lights on across the room. It just confuses the chicks.

So, yes, your chickens can be attracted to the porch light.

Are your "girls" chicks or full size chickens?

If it's chicks, then I'm no help. I think the red lamp I have in the little coop I've got my 8 week olds in is goofing up their bed time. Most of the 15 chicks go in, but about 3-4 hang out around the door because it's really too warm in there without the door open. It's finally warm enough at night for them to sleep without the red brooder lamp on all night. I'm switching to a flashlight tonight to lure them into the house portion of the coop. That's always worked for me with adult hens just learning to live in a new house.

Sorry I'm not more help.

Edit: under needed an N

 

[sally4500]

White light worked best for my girls. It only took a few days.

 

[teach1rusl]

Quote:
X2

I face a little flashlight against a wall so that it gives just a little light. I think the most it's taken is two nights with adult chickens. I'm having a bit more trouble with the little 8? week old chicks.

Yeah...mine are about that age too. It definitely seems to be taking longer for them to get the idea...lol. Thankfully I have power out there, so I've put my light on a timer.

Niss - are you using red heat lamps because they NEED supplemental heat??? As chicks (and possibly some adult birds), they'll want to go the the safest looking place. Your porch light is probably brighter, so they may want to head THAT way... If they don't need extra heat, get rid of the heat bulbs and just use a small wattage bulb - and as sparklee suggested, turn the porch light off...at least until they're tucked in for the night.

 

[Niss]

I have the heat lights on when it's going to be cold over night, and I've been turning them on (if not on already) when I first go out to 'tuck them in' in the hopes of enticing them inside. They aren't drawn to the porchlight per say, but there is a flood buld that pionts at the tree they think they would rather live in. Most of the chicks are 6wk, BUT I now have 6 two year olds w/ about 8 more hanging out in the yard...and since they came the little ones are more reluctant to come in...which brings me to another question asked elsewere: After keeping the hens I could catch in the coop a few days will they return or be led astray by the ones just hanging out in the trees that I can't catch? The grown hens were all living together before I got them and my mother emancipated the lot before I could move them to the coop.

 

[Sparklee]

Quote:
The 6wk olds and the two year olds are together in the same coop? I'm not talented enough to ever make that happen. I'm not the one to ask about that because I wait until the youngers are 5 months before mixing them up with older hens.

If we're talking about just the hens in their very own coop, theoretically (did I spell that right?), then yes, the hens could be led astray by the ones in trees. But you just never know with chickens. It's too bad you can't entice them all into their own coop and then let them live in there for a week or 10 days. Usually that is long enough to re-set their idea of where "home" is. However, repeat after me, you just never know with chickens. If they feel safer in the trees, that's where they'll go. Fingers crossed that you don't have owls.

 

[Niss]

THANK YOU!!!

Last night the guys put up a run and we let the big girls out into it then tossed in the lil ones. At nightfall I turned on a WHITE light and they ALL came in. I'll do it again for awile because it worked so well--no work on my part what so ever.

As for mixing the ages--I know it's not ideal, but the two year olds were free if I got them now, and I already have the little girls in the coop...which is now over crowded since we caught 9 more of the runaways lastnight. I haven't seen any problems YET, and we are hoping to expand the facilities soon. I'm a little distracted today because we let them into the run first thing this morning--I clipped the grown hens wigns last night, but may not have done it right--and the run isn't preditor proof.