Go to bed!!!

[Andy E 123]

i have 3 one year old chickens, all 3 insist on sleeping outside in their predator proof run, I've decided it's time to try and get them to sleep in their newly built coop,for the past 3 nights I have been lifting them into their coop and closing the door, at first they were freaked out, now they seem ok with it, just wandering how long before they go on their own and save me getting up early to let them out
Cheers

 

[KoopOnTruckin]

I would think just a few more days, total of a week usually seems to be the max for this sort of thing, in my experience.

 

[abbydmac]

We were having the same problem with our 4 pullets and I was tired of "tucking them in" every night. In our case, I think it was much darker in the coop than outside because they were waiting until last light to go in and maybe not feeling confident of entering a dark and unfamiliar place. After a couple of nights of putting them in the coop they started going in on their own and also stopped waiting until it was so dark.

 

[hempsteadjb]

i have 3 one year old chickens, all 3 insist on sleeping outside in their predator proof run, I've decided it's time to try and get them to sleep in their newly built coop,for the past 3 nights I have been lifting them into their coop and closing the door, at first they were freaked out, now they seem ok with it, just wandering how long before they go on their own and save me getting up early to let them out
Cheers

I had he same problem with my little 6 week old chicks, finally got them in the coop and locked them in for 1 night...the next few nights they still stayed in the run and then I installed 2 dollar store solar lights in the coop and they started going in on their own every night...there is a you tube video showing how to install the solar lights...its a very dim light but they are able to see each other.

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

I had that problem too, except that it was a chicken tractor and I was moving them to a coop. And I had like twenty chickens! I moved them every night, and it eventually worked out! You can also leave them in for a couple of days, so they bond to it.

 

[Specialedes]

I also have 12 6 week old chicks that just went outside a week ago and they will not go in the coop at night they all huddle up on top of each other in the darkest corner of the run. I have to put them in the coop every night after dark

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

Another thing you could do is shoo them inside the coop before they settle down outside, so they had to go to bed in the coop.

 

[Andy E 123]

I would think just a few more days, total of a week usually seems to be the max for this sort of thing, in my experience.

 

[Andy E 123]

Ok so it's nearly a week since I have been placing the girls to bed and letting them out early in the morning, they still have no intentions of going in the coop themselves to sleep, shall I carry on for s few more days??????

 

[Abriana]

i have 3 one year old chickens, all 3 insist on sleeping outside in their predator proof run, I've decided it's time to try and get them to sleep in their newly built coop,for the past 3 nights I have been lifting them into their coop and closing the door, at first they were freaked out, now they seem ok with it, just wandering how long before they go on their own and save me getting up early to let them out
Cheers

I did that as well with some pullets. It took a little over a week, maybe two. It was worth it though. Until recently. They will go in now, but then i moved the coop to an area with six or seven trees and the cockerels are like, "Thanks for the safe coop, but we'll pass. The tree is better." and the pullets are like, "it took you two weeks to teach us to go in the coop, but the peak of the roof looks better so we are going to make you climb up on the roof EVERY SINGLE NIGHT to get us down. Thanks!" Drives me batty.