Help! My Chicks Are Afraid of the Dark!

[CityChook]

Grammahen, ceramic bulbs are easily available in 100 watt - check your pet store (reptile section) or ebay. They are spendy, but last a long time.

I am no expert on this, but I am thinking that the chicks didn't go in because the light was on. With a light, their day/night rhythms get somewhat out of sync. Without a light, they can tell that the sun is going down naturally and it's time to put themselves to bed before it gets too dark. Chickens do not have good night vision. I'm guessing that this is why they huddled in the coop and cried when the light went out - it was sudden (daytime, uh-oh, now night) and scary inside (too dark!) and they wouldn't be able to see to get to the roost.

If it was me, I would definitely turn off their light and connect a ceramic heat bulb to your heat sensor. It will need to go over your roost as ceramic bulbs do not heat air, they heat surfaces (like chickens). This will provide them warmth when they need it but keep their natural day/night rhythms in tact.

Good luck - I can tell that you're a good chicken gramma.

 

[Jen4]

We moved out chickies to the coop over the weekend... they've done great, except when its starts to get dark, they all huddle in a corner in the coop and make noise.... how long do ya think it will take til they are use to it? They are a month old.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
A couple of nights. I've found that the longer chickens are used to something, the longer it takes for them to accept a change.

 

[lakeguy55]

We're having some of the same issues here....our 6 week old chicks (and 7 week old roo) do the same thing at dark....huddle up in a corner of the run. We have to gather them up (with many objections) and place them in the coop. I have been reading and researching as much as I can about light, and how that affects them. I am thinking about getting a timer, to have the light in the coop come on at dusk (still currently the red heat lamp). I always thought "going to roost" was mostly automatic, but we're learning not always.

At this point I may not have enough roost space for the girls. My nest boxes are lower than the existing roosts, but they might be too close?

Alot of good information here. Keep the ideas coming. We only want the best for our feathered friends!

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
I wouldn't bother with the light. They need to get used to the dark eventually anyhow. Try locking them in the coop for a few days with no access to their run. The first time you do let them out, do so just an hour or two before dusk. Once they figure out the coop is home, that's where they'll want to be to roost at night.

 

[Kait27]

How much noise are we talking when you turn off the light? I'm worried, I'm going to be an underground chicken keeper, and I'd hate for the first night the chickens are outside to be the night the neighbors complain about that strange noise. Then again, if they haven't seen them, maybe they won't know what it is...Is it enough to be heard from inside a shed to inside a house?

 

[Jen4]

I dont think so... mine didnt make that much noise, but I did take the light away from them while they where still in the house.

 

[guesswhatchickenbutt]

Quote:
Hi, I'm the OP for this thread. Mine moved outside at 4 1/2 weeks so they don't squawk yet, they just peep, but yeah, they peeped like mad. There is no way that noise would disturb a neighbor if you only had a handful of chickens. It's a lot of peeping, but it is just peeping, not mad bagawking.

My chickens are covert too - I only have 3 though. I use the solar driveway lights placed around their coop at night and it gives just enough glow that they don't freak out anymore (and they're about 6 weeks old now).

 

[saybella]

I just tried the tough love route, but I ended up caving in to their cries. All our chicks are 9 weeks old, and we had our first 80 degree day today, so I figured it was a good time to cut them off from the 250 watt red lamp. I never heard them peeping so much and so loud as they did tonight, and I tried to ignore it, but I couldn't ignore the fact that the 14 of them were piled in a 1 square foot area up against the chicken wire door trying to escape.

I figure that it may be dangerous, and didn't wanna deal with cuts or injuries, so I decided to put in a green LED night light, and they kept crying and piling in the corner, then as soon as I turned on the stupid red lamp...they all spread out in their chick house and calmed down. ughh!

So Im just gonna leave the red on tonight. I may try a white LED night light tomorrow and see if it's a matter of brightness that they are worried about. or if they really just want their red light?

I just worry, because a dog pile 14 chicks high could do some damage to the bottom "dog". Has anyone had luck with a white night light for their chicks??

Who knew chicks would be such chickens! haha!