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.

 

[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.

 

[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

 

[Abriana]

I found out one night that they could go in on their own because i had some people over and didn't get out to the chickens until a little after dusk. They were all in. My suggestion is wait until a little later than you normally put them in and see what happens. Maybe sit near the coop so you can check to see if they are not panicking in the dark or if one is left out.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[wvchics]

Chickens are creatures of habit. It's easy to train them. You just need a regular schedule and eventually they will figure it out. Dusk seems to be the most common time chickens will go in for the night, but all of them are different. I prefer to have the interaction, and also, keep them safe from predators. I have been free ranging when I'm home and use the run in the morning and when I'm gone. They all gather at the door and wait to go in the coop around dusk. I haven't kept them in the coop since it got warm enough, but I did when I first got them. Now, they see it as their home.

 

[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.