How to get them to sleep in coop at night?

[SBURKE55]

I have 4 7week old chickens and for about 1 1/2-2 weeks I have been letting them out during the day for a few hours at a time (7AM-12PM and 6PM-8:40PM) to get used to being outside and used to the heat and coop/run. So when I let them out I put them in the coop and once they are all in I will open the door so they can walk down the ramp to get to the run. Now they are used to the ramp and will go in the coop randomly just to hang out some times. At around 8:40PM they seem to know what time it is and will go to the run door and will make lots of noise and asked to get out.
So if I want to move them inside the coop at night would I just close the door, pick them up and put them in the coop?
Will they be noisy and just calm down on their own?
Do they need water all night? I still have them with water and food all night long in the brooder. Should I stop the food all night and/or the water?
Like what exactly should I expect during this transition?

Any advice on moving them out fulltime is great appreciated. These are my 1st chickens and I'm a bit nervous and cautious (probably too much...lol) but these r my kids new pets and I just want to do it right.

I have this (see picture) coop from tractor supply that I use. I will eventually let me chickens bee free roaming in my yard once I teach them to come when called and they get used to being outside 24/7. The run is 76in L by 36in W and the inside is supposed to house up to 6 chickens and have 3 nesting boxes and one roost.
I plan to make one to go in the run and some around my yard.

 

[aart]

Yes, just put them in the coop near dark and close the door.
They may be stressed bit will soon get used to it.
Let them out at first light to eat and drink.

 

[homesteaderwannabe]

I just went through the same thing with my chicks. I moved them outside and when it started to get dark, they went into panic mode. They were cheeping really loud and flying up and hitting the side of their run. I had to pick each one up and put them in their new coop the first two nights then they did it on their own after that. They quieted down as soon as I got them all in there. I did not give them food or water during the night. They did fine and like their new home now.
Chickens are so interesting. You sound like a great chicken mom !! Enjoy !!

 

[townchicks]

You might also want to block access to the nest box during this transition time so they don't form the habit of sleeping in there. A piece of cardboard securely fastened over the opening will do.

 

[alinas2010]

We used that coop initially for our 4 chickens, too. Transitioned them into it as you are doing. When it came time to finally leave them out there to sleep they were sooo upset! But trust the process. They will settle down and get used to it.

I had a hard time hearing them sound frightened in there, so I bought some of those battery operated stick on dome lights and put them on a timer to dim out over the course of a half hour. I turned them on when i put the girls in there and closed the door and it allowed them to settle in with some light. It worked well, probably gave me more piece of mind than anything.

A word of caution on the coop part; if you have large breeds or even medium breeds, it will eventually not be big enough for 4 chickens to sleep in comfortably. We had to install a roost bar in the run area and as they grew 2 slept on that and the other 2 slept inside the coop area. We also had to switch out the roost bar inside the coop for something large enough for big girl feet to grab comfortably.

Sounds like your chickens will have a great life. Good luck! They are so fun!

 

[rosemarythyme]

You're going to want to add ventilation to that coop, both because it's lacking and because chickens can't navigate in the dark, so they won't want to go inside. An artificial light solves the latter issue, but doesn't address ventilation, so might as well knock both out at once.

What's your climate like? In moderate climates I'd consider knocking out part of the wall facing into the run with hardware cloth. In hot climates the entire wall should be gone or replaced.

So if I want to move them inside the coop at night would I just close the door, pick them up and put them in the coop?
Will they be noisy and just calm down on their own?
Do they need water all night? I still have them with water and food all night long in the brooder. Should I stop the food all night and/or the water?

Yes just pick them up and put them in for now.

Yes they will probably fuss or even scream. Just close it up and walk away.

No they do not need food or water at night, however if you are in a hotter climate they need to be released from the coop and get water access at sunrise, or before it starts warming up noticeably.