How to get them into the coop?

[calman5565]

Hey Everyone!

I have a question concerning my chickens entering their coop. I am a new owner with twelve chickens and I have converted my old treehouse into a coop. Right now they are living in a fenced off area beneath the house and love it but when they outgrow the old doghouse they sleep in, I want to move them from there into the treehouse. The problems is, it is about 8 feet off the ground. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can get them to go up and down every morning and every night? (They will be free-range.)

Thanks for reading and I would really appreciate any advice that anyone has.

Thanks!

 

[joan1708]

After they are in the current coop, can you pick each one up and put them in the new coop with food and water and leave them in there for 2 days? Then let them out and see if they go back the next night, maybe luring the stranglers with mealworms?

 

[CarolJ]

You have to teach them that the coop is home. And the best way to do that is to put them in the coop with food/water, close the door and leave them there for a few days. Once they sleep there and roost there, then they will return there every night. Or you can just physically put them in the coop each evening for a few days until they learn that the coop is where they're supposed to roost at night.

 

[PeepsAreForMe]

Hi - what if there is not a lot of room inside the coop - can I put their food and water in the nesting boxes? I don't want to confuse them. I plan on keeping it underneath after they learn that the coop is their safe haven. Thanks!

 

[Nsampsel]

Here's how I do mine:

I put them in the coop the first night & close it up. Then let them find their way out in the morning when I open it back up. It only took a couple nights to get everyone trained & now the older ones train the new ones when I add them to the coop. My 2 Mallards were the only ones I had to put in more than a couple nights & that was only cuz they had trouble with the ramp. Once I finished their pen & moved them in they had no trouble finding the box at ground level after being put in once & left to come right back out.

Everyone pretty much heads to bed right before the sun sets or as it is setting. I don't even have to close coop doors anymore (mine are in a secure run & don't free-range). I only close the doors if temps are going below freezing overnight cuz most of mine are still pretty young. The ones in the coops range from 2 weeks to 2 1/2 months for the ones I hand raised & 6 mos to a yr for the ones I bought already grown. The 6 babies under 2-3 weeks that aren't feathered very well yet are all that's left in the brooder. 10 just moved out of the brooder to the little coop today & 9 moved from the little coop to the big one. I stuck everyone in the coop & let them find the run from there. I have no worries that they found the coop again come sun-down as there were still older birds in both coops to show them they way.

 

[PeepsAreForMe]

Nasampsel, that is very helpful, thanks. I didn't like the idea of keeping them in the coop all day, its kind of small. I'm sure they will learn!

 

[Chickadee707]

Here's how I do mine:

I put them in the coop the first night & close it up. Then let them find their way out in the morning when I open it back up. It only took a couple nights to get everyone trained & now the older ones train the new ones when I add them to the coop. My 2 Mallards were the only ones I had to put in more than a couple nights & that was only cuz they had trouble with the ramp. Once I finished their pen & moved them in they had no trouble finding the box at ground level after being put in once & left to come right back out.

Everyone pretty much heads to bed right before the sun sets or as it is setting. I don't even have to close coop doors anymore (mine are in a secure run & don't free-range). I only close the doors if temps are going below freezing overnight cuz most of mine are still pretty young. The ones in the coops range from 2 weeks to 2 1/2 months for the ones I hand raised & 6 mos to a yr for the ones I bought already grown. The 6 babies under 2-3 weeks that aren't feathered very well yet are all that's left in the brooder. 10 just moved out of the brooder to the little coop today & 9 moved from the little coop to the big one. I stuck everyone in the coop & let them find the run from there. I have no worries that they found the coop again come sun-down as there were still older birds in both coops to show them they way.

That's how my great-grandma taught me. When she was still alive, we did free-range. She taught us to lock the birds in the coop for 3 days (there was food, water, and a couple windows in there of course) and after the 3rd day to let them out. Sure enough, every night before sun set they'd make their way into the coop to roost.

 

[woodsman23]

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

 

[joan1708]

Mine would likely walk through fire for a piece of hot dog. If I don't have mealworms, I lure them with hotdogs!

 

[chicks2012]

I trained mine to when they hear CHICK CHICK CHICK, they know it is feeding time and it is like watching a drag race to get to the food. I started them out young and just before sunset, I call them them into the coop and give them a small amount to eat and then they go roost.