How to get them into the coop?

[yorklady]

I am a total newbie at raising chickens so this is going to sound stupid but how are your chickens supposed to get into a treehouse that is eight feet off the ground? I am just raising my first chicks but we have had a group of older chickens that we bought as young ones and I honestly don't think any of them could fly that high.

 

[nuchickontheblock]

I am a bit confused. Are you intending to have them fly up and down to an 8 foot high tree house as their coop? I would think that keeping it clean and collecting eggs would be a real pain. I would perhaps add a couple of platforms at 3 and 5 feet to help them with the up and down. I think some breeds and individuals fly better than others. So . . . Also, I always have food and water in the coop so that when they wake up before me, they can eat something. It's not a good idea to put food and water in the nest boxes. will be confusing for them and they will make tip them over when they try to use the nest boxes.

I'll be interested to see pics of how it might work.

 

[calman5565]

Here is a picture of the coop.

 

[PeepsAreForMe]

It is like they have a built-in homing device! Well, I think mine do anyway. Saturday night we put them in the cop and closed the door and we all went to bed. At 5 a.m. I woke up to pouring rain but when I let them out at 6:00, they were dry and happy - and hungry! The next night we got home after dark and they were already in their coop. I was so proud of them I almost shed a tear!

 

[rungirl]

simply place a light in the coop shining out and they will come to it .

This is the way I do it also. They always go to the light when darkness falls.

 

[KimKimWilliamso]

I didnt read through the entire thread, so I apologize if this has reeatedly been suggested, however I recently had great success with the lit coop concept. I had introduced my chicks to the coop many times while they were still in the house, just to get them used to it. Then when they were moved outside I locked them in there for two days, with food water, etc. Then I opened the door, and waited for night.....each night they would nestle down to sleep somewhere in the run, and not go into the coop, even though I knew they were navigating the ramp in and out as they pleased during the day. Eventually I got sick of chasing them around to put them away at night. So I had my husband install a light. I turned it on with a timer at 10pm, and came outside at 10:30pm to see if they had gone in, and SURPRISE SURPRISE they HAD! We use this trick every night now, and actually last night I had the younger chicks locked in the coop to get them used to it, and when the light came, I noticed the older chicks scrambling and stuff to get into the coop when the ramp wasnt even up, LOL So it REALLY worked, and I wish I had tried it sooner.

 

[chynasparks]

My peeps just moved into their coop/ run yesterday. It's all enclosed as I can't free range them. Lower ground level and upper closed nest house with ladder leading to pop hole. Hubby built it. He decided not to put a door on the pop hole since the hole structure is all enclosed. Last night I went in and placed them up into the nest/roost area. Living in texas is hot and humid, even at night so I wouldn't want to close them if if there were a door. Another problem is, they have never had a separate little place to go to roost at night, so they don't know how. They aren't dumb, they figured out the ladder in the first hour! I was a proud mother hen and my hubby was to since he built it. The loft as I call it has everything a chicken could want, a roost big enough for 4 chicken butts, 2 nest boxes ( not layers yet ) a window. I just wonder and hope they will learn to use it. When I put them in they came back out. But it was their first night. Any opinions?