HELP! HOW DO I GET THE GIRLS IN AT NIGHT?

[smallflock]

anyone got any tricks to gettin the girlie birds up in the coop at nite? My 4 new girls are stickin to the run and huddling in the corner...they've only been in the new chicken tractor two nights, and both nights I've had to physically put them upstairs and then lock the ladder in the up position to keep them there.

 

[Commander Chicken]

I keep the birds in the coop for a week or two before I let them go out. Then they get used to the coop and want to go back in. Have you tried that already?

 

[mmajw]

Try treats to get them in.

 

[bigmike&nan]

Never had that problem - even when they don't get to free range as much as they'd like each day (and they are out a lot) when it starts getting dark they head upstairs to their coop... The little beggars are so precious. Perhaps it is warm enough where you are that they LIKE being in the run area...

 

[Crappie]

If I don't have the light on in the coop, mine won't come in and I have to pick them up and carry them to the coop.

But if the light is on they are there by dark and all I have to do is lock 'em down

 

[Chirpy]

I also keep my chicks locked inside the coop/tractor for several days when they are first put out there. They don't get to go outside for that time470000000000000000077777777777777777777777777 (sorry - that's my new kitten helping me type...

)

anyway... after those few days then let them outside and they should go back into roost every night.

If they still don't then you will have to physically lift them inside for a few days/week and they should get the picture.

 

[chad76]

Quote:
Light makes a difference. It took me almost an hour to get mine in their coop the first night (my run is too short for me to walk in to catch them and put them in the coop). What finally worked was shining a flashlight into the coop. They hadn't even set foot in it before and one went in within 30 seconds of me shining the light. The other two took a little more work, but they finally went in.

The second night, it only took about 10 minutes to get them all in. The third night, they were all in before it was even dark. I'm still considering putting a really dim light in there so it's not completely dark.

 

[Chirpy]

The light issue is a good one to talk about. Chickens will naturally go to roost before sundown every day.

When people add artificial light they need to have the light come on early in the morning and not extend the light into the evening. The reason is because chickens will be happily scratching around with the light on, not realizing it's actually getting dark and then the light all of a sudden goes off and they are left in darkness... the literally cannot find their way back to their roosts.

 

[Crappie]

I keep a red light on in their coop all night. Is that bad for them?

I turn it off when I go feed in the morning and turn it back on before dark. It used to be for heat when they were March Chicks. But if it's not good for them to have the light at night I'll start keeping it off.

 

[JSC]

Seems there out to be a "sticky" on this subject. Here is our problem.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=44850

JSC's Hubby