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how long should i "coop them up"?

Discussion in 'Raising Baby Chicks' started by mom wewantchicks!, May 24, 2008.

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  1. May 24, 2008 #1
    mom wewantchicks!

    mom wewantchicks! Songster

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    Apr 23, 2008
    buckhannon,wv
    we will be putting our 6 week old chicks into thier enclosure today!! we decided to put the roost into a build in cage and lock them up at night to keep away preditors. do i have to keep them in this cage for a week or so until they get the idea to go in there at night? of can i just let them out into the enclosure during the day and they will go get on the roost at night? here is a pic, i know it really fancy! but it was here already and we have just done a few inprovements! this is the entire enclosure
    [​IMG]
    and these are the cages they will be shut in at night(we put in a solid floor)
    [​IMG]
     

  4. May 25, 2008 #2
    jessica117

    jessica117 Songster

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    Apr 23, 2008
    SE Tennessee
    Personally, I'd let them run in the enclosure during the day from the start. Every night for about a week just after dark I'd go out with a flashlight and put them in their sleeping cage. With my experience it usually takes anywhere from 3 to 5 days for them to "get the idea" then they start doing it on their own. (My hubby just came in from doing the same thing with 3 of our babies.)

    Hope this helps!

    Jess
     
  6. May 25, 2008 #3
    ibpboo

    ibpboo Where Chickens Ride Horses

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    Jul 9, 2007
    always changing
    I think my chicks were around 4 or 5 weeks the first time I let them run around in the yard. They had been in their hutch a couple weeks. The first night at dark I went out and they were outside the hutch so I place them right at the doorway and they went in. The next night they went in by themselves. Now they are 9 weeks and they feel they are too big for their hutch so now they go into the tack room to sleep and I just close the door.
     

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