I think my chickens are "special".

[Harleychicks]

How long does it take to coop train my flock to go into the coop at night?
It's been a week now and if I dont put them into the coop they just sleep in a corner of the run,same thing when it rains. I'm starting to think they are mentally deficient and will need assistance forever.

 

[sourland]

The problem with sleeping in the corner of the run is that raccoons have sneaky little hands and have been known to tear birds apart through the wire. Did you lock them in the coop for a period of time after changing their 'home'?

 

[Harleychicks]

No, we just got the coop, before this the were sleeping under a over turned tralier. I put their water in there to get them to go in on their own but the wont go in unassisted when dusk rolls around.
Their pretty safe sleeping outside ,I put small holed fencing around the main fencing.

 

[Aurosphoenix]

You have to assist them to go into the coop for a couple of days until they get use to sleeping in there at night, especially when you change where they sleep.

 

[azygous]

Here's the thing. Chickens are very, very suspicious of anything new and different. Chicks are even worse. They need to be. It's survival for them and they need to be cautious.

This is not an overnight process. It requires time and patience. But there is a plan you can follow to be successful.

First you need to install them in the coop and leave them there for a couple of days so they can familiarize themselves with the interior and feel at home. Coop them up with food and water and check on them frequently. During this time it will help to offer treats and get them to learn to come to you when they see the container. Use a verbal cue along with it, and this will serve you well over the lifetime of your chickens.

On the morning of the third day, let them out of the coop into the run. When night comes, wait until you see the chicks grouping together and making their night trilling noises, signalling they want to huddle for sleep.

If the inside of the coop is darker than it is out in the run, it helps to have a small light so the chicks can see the inside. They resist going anywhere they cannot see.

Get into the coop, yourself, and call to the chicks, offering the familiar treats and use the verbal cue to encourage them inside. This works so much better than physically grabbing the chicks and stuffing them into the coop, which increases their stress levels and does nothing to teach them about going into the coop. It's negative conditioning you do not need.

It never takes my chicks more than two or three nights to learn to go in on their very own without any coaxing from me whatsoever. The last bunch was five weeks old when they accomplished this.