help! how to get 8 week old chicks to go into the coop at night?

[nanners]

hello friends
i need some advice.

we have 5 chicks of different breeds and put them into their coop/run last week. everynight since i have found them huddled together outside and i move them into the coop for the night. i know they can get into the coop- they go in their during the day and hang out on the ramp during the day too.

any ideas on how to get them into the coop? any experience/suggestions on what might be going on in their lil' chicken brains that is keeping them on the grass, huddled together?

i'm a bit leery about them staying in the run overnight...and fetching them out of it is kinda a pain...since know they huddle far away from the door and the run in a bit short for me.

wondering if having a light on in the coop will attract or repel them?

thanks in advance!

 

[AngelzFyre]

I'm sure there'll be lots of answers on this but when I first let all mine out when they are young like yours I go at the same time every evening and toss in a few handfuls of scratch inside the coop, call to them with the same tone and phrase, and then go round them up by hand if need be. After a few times, they usually come running when they hear me and hop up into the coop for the scratch...then I run close the coop door. It may take a couple weeks to get them all to do it consistently, but they always get this routine down. I've also taken a couple of small limbs with leaves at the end in and sort of rounded them up closer to the coop so I can "herd" them in as a group first before chasing them each around if they haven't figured out how to get in yet.
I would definitely not leave them outside at night unless your run is super safe and secured from predators and nothing could get in at all because they do not see well at night at all and are extremely helpless. They also spook very easily and get hurt if trying to fly when they can't see.
Hope this helps!

 

[carladababe]

I moved my 11, 8 week old chicks to their coop last Monday. The run is open during the day but everyone goes inside the coop at night. It's still a little cold outside, 40's-50's so I have a heat lamp on during the night especially since it's also been raining. They seem to be doing fine. It was extremely entertaining watching my husband shoo the chickens from the run into the coop one evening, and they didn't want to.

 

[nanners]

should i try to round them up before sunset? it seems once they have settled down for the night- no amount of goodies or coaxing will get them to move. they have access to feed all day so scratch isn't so tempting to them. but i see your point in training them.

it isn't that cold here at night but i do have a light in the coop for warmth.

the coop is a tractor style- so while the run/coop area is very secure the ground is the ground- and i would worry about them being in the run overnight.

thanks for the advice!

 

[JustOneMore]

Did you have them locked in there for a few days before giving them liberty? I always have a goal of leaving them "cooped up" for a week when I new chicks outside. After 3-4 days I seem to get impatient about seeing them in the baby run so I let them out. I have found that if I can contain myself and keep them up a bit longer they tend to "home" to the coop's interior. Otherwise, I too have to assist them into the coop. I feel so badly for them cuddled in a heap right under the door! They do eventually figure it out. I think the "treat" idea mentioned in an earlier post is a great one to try!

 

[haus]

Quote:
This seems like a great idea, I will try this to avoid any issues when I finally put my chicks outside..

 

[JodyJo]

Mine LOVE grapes...so at night I go out and call, Here Chick chick, and toss the grapes inside the run, I lock it and then they go into the coop....

 

[Wildflower_VA]

Chickens are night blind, so rounding them up or enticing them with treats, and herding them into the coop should happen while there is still a good bit of light. If it is close to dark, they might not be able to see treats you throw to them. I was very lucky because my chicks knew to go into the coop at close to dark from the very first night. I was expecting to have to show them how or round them up, but I had more trouble getting them to leave the coop to go into their run during the day.

 

[AngelzFyre]

For now, yes, I would try to do everything before sunset. It shouldn't take too long for them to get into a routine, but until they do it'll be easier on you AND them to get everything done before the light becomes an issue. I try my best to have everyone in by 6 in the summer, gives me time to get all the waters changed, feed refilled and to look everyone over and observe behaviors to make sure nothing's amiss and I catch it early if it is.

Even with my grown chickens some evenings it's like a game to them to grab whatever they can and beat me back outside into the run before I can get in to lock the coop door so I have to herd them all back in. I'm convinced my roo takes absolute pleasure in doing this!

 

[nanners]

doh! no i didn't keep them in the coop before letting them run around. lesson learned. should we keep them in the coop now for a few days? or is it better to let them out each day now that they are used to it?

since the coop is 2 feet off the ground it is kinda tricky to throw the food into the coop in a manner that they can see from the ground- but i will figure something out! they sure love slugs- and we have lots of those around these parts....baby ones.

to make matters more tricky- they huddle in the hardest spot to get to. fortunately, my son is small, agile and loves the chicks so he rounds them up for us.

thanks for the support and ideas-