This. Two nights is not enough. Somewhere between four nights and a week should do it. Do this right at dusk when there's still just enough light for them to see. If the coop is too dark for them to see into, they won't go in by themselves, they don't see well in darkness. If it has windows, they should do okay. Good luck!
I find they stay on the roost if you put them there after full daark.
It's a very attractive goop. Enjoy your flick!
Edit. Haha, COOP, not goop. Good grief!
Edit #2. And FLOCK, not flick. I give up.
There is an edit function to correct typing gaffs, I use it all the time.Sigh, I can't even blame spellcheck, I have it turned off. I just kept missing the keys on my phone for some reason. Fat fingers, tiny keyboard, lol
Everyone has an opinion. I don’t keep food in my coop. I always keep water available in the coop at all times. Since you live in FL. You should definitely as well. Your birds are young and will want to have it as well. Mine drank a lot in the heat and still do. I live in MS. So I know your pain. Please keep water in the coop. I think they are still a little young for the roosting thing all the time depending on their breed. Mine didn’t roost till much later. Just relax. Lower the roost and if you want to put in a ramp or a bucket to give a landing prop or something as a go between just something simple is all they need. They will get it. They might need coaxing or taking into the coop at night or a light on for a short time for a while until they go to sleep just so they can get their bearings. They will get it. They just need some growing time yet.
Jon I forgot to post that you have a very nice coop and also that you currently have not overloaded yourself with too many birds. If you never make that mistake which is a critical very very bad error in judgement that many folks make you will always be in good shape. You are on the road to having a great flock and setup. Being in such a hot location for birds to live in and thrive is always such a challenge. I dreaded the heat this year and it really put me to the test. All my birds suffered. Let me tell you that this year was as bad as I have seen it or experienced it living in MS all my nearly 52 years I must say and as bad as I hate being hot I love the South but I hate it for my animals and I have had a lot in that time. However it has been my first to own my own flock. I have been around them all my life and all my families on both sides of the tree both my parents sides and my husbands sides have owned them and lots of my friends. I have not taken the leap until I could be home full time. I did not know that this year was going to be the worst of the worst or I might have held off again. Knowing what I know now though about how well my birds handled themselves and tolerated this excessive heat and how excellent my husband built my coop I am relieved for what might be in store for years to come. The only thing I might add next year as a bonus but not a need is a poultry fan. I don’t have to have it but I had one bird who is actually my lead hen who struggled. It killed my soul. I worried sick about her night and day. Should I bring her back inside or not. Was it something else. Did she have coccidiosis? I knew I had had her vaccinated for Mareks, and I had given them medicated feed for 12 weeks before going outside but wasn’t sure that wasn’t enough. My research was wonky on that I must say. Then I thought well their feed was good. I had treated their run prior to them ever being exposed to the area for mites etc. I had had them on quality food all their lives. I had kept all their containers clean all the time that they are and drank out of daily. I kept fresh water available all the time in the coop and run. I had them on electrolytes and probiotics. I had electrolytes during the heat everyday. I have them cold water pans to stay cool in or Kay by. They had cold greens to eat. Plenty of protein. They had everything healthy I could think of. I was giving them more of my time than my kids and one of them is special needs. I kept their coop clean and their run as clean of poop that is not ridiculous. So she just had to either make it or it would break her. Finally after about 7 or 8 days of acting stiff and not having a very good appetite but eating some and a lot of it fresh grass clippings which are one of their favorite treats she cake out of it. We had a few days where the temps dropped below 95 daily and the induces were lower than that also. She started to be back to her old self and be the first one out in the mornings and following me around the coop and run again to inspect my doings to make sure nothing got past her nose. She is nosy. She is my protector also. She protects me from the mean chicken of the flock who is actually one of her sisters by blood. Funny enough. The other of her sisters is sweet as punch. Anyway she made it. So the heat is deadly and it kills so fast and they are so tough yet so fragile. So you have a wonderful setup so don’t blow it by over filling your coop and suffocating your precious flock. It just isn’t worth it. They come a dime a dozen in some people’s minds maybe but not mine. You may think that but it doesn’t look like it. You have a beautiful coop. Good luck in the heat and good luck with your young flock. BYC has lots of opinions. Most of them great. All of them different. Most are helpful and their are a few typos here and there which are usually funny and good for a few laughs! But if they don’t make sense don’t just assume you are stupid and they are right. Ask for clarification. They could have made a mistake or a typo. I make them all the time myself. Take care and good luck getting the roosting done and not the roasting! Lol!
As I said before about the opinions. We all have so many. About the ventilation. Before you go ripping out walls in your coop. If you keep it clean and all the crap cleaned out daily or every other day as I do. I only have nine birds and a large coop with two windows and upper vents also in the ceiling lines. I also leave my coop door which is large open all day. If you do this and you only have six birds and you keep it to this number and keep it clean then your ventilation is fine as is. Just remember no more birds under these circumstances.
Of course, I should have been more specific, sorry. After we integrate them, the young birds go in the coop just before dark, but huddle together on the floor. The roost is higher than it was in the brooder and they don't know where to look for it. So we go in and set them up on the roost, but when we close the door behind us (it's a man-door), it is then completely dark inside so they stay put. After a few evenings of doing this, they go in and put themselves on the roost just before dark, then all we have to do is close the door.
