Hi everyone!! This is my first flock ive done by myself!! I have read in a few places that when you first move the chicks from brooder to coop that you need to lock them up for 3 days to a week to get them used to it. We have an attached run on our coop and I was wondering should I just lock them up in the actual COOP or let them into the run as well and just not let them free range for a week?? Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks in advance!
I put mine out in the coop/run at 2 weeks. I believe that the time frame is for them to imprint "home" before free range. So far they've been in the coop 2 weeks, they go in at night on their own and are roosting on the perches at 4 weeks. As long as it's safe from predators I don't see any reason not to move them.
I'd say keep them in the run for a week, so they get used to their new home. Then you could let them free range. That's how we did it with our first girls. We also sat in the run with them.
I locked mine in the coop itself, so they'd home themselves to the structure. If your coop is not spacious enough (well over 4 sq ft per adult bird (maybe 10 sq ft per is ok?), maybe 4 sq ft per young chick?) and well ventilated and/or it's extremely hot out, I would not lock them in the coop and would do coop/run instead.
My coop is 6 x 8 including 8 nesting boxes. The run attached is a 10 x 10 x 6 and only two of my 10 chickens will be going out right now. thanks for all the tips/advice!
Why only two of the ten? It might be setting you up for a wreck later on. It is better to keep them together, and I would confine them to the coop/roost set up. You may lock them in the coop over night, bit get down early and let them out. Each night go down to make sure they all get into the coop and shut the pop up door. When they are in the coop before you get there, they have imprinted and know where home is. As this is a new set up, one always hopes they have it predator proof, but until you are pretty sure, it is best to shut the pop up door or chicken door at night.
The way I see this you can try either way, lock them in the coop only for a while or let them have access to the run as well from the start. I've done it both ways. The idea behind locking them in the coop section only for a few days is that they will go into the coop to sleep at night on their own. That never works for me, I think because my coop is elevated. No matter how long I leave them locked in the coop section only, mine always try to sleep on the ground under the pop door. I have to physically move them to the coop and lock them in there when it gets dark. I typically have about 20 chicks in a group. On one occasion I only had to move then to the coop once and they went in on their own the next night. I have had a couple of groups that it took three weeks for all of them to go in on their own. Typically it takes about a week but not all broods are typical. With a different set-up on your coop and run you can get totally different results. I go through this same scenario whether I lock them in the coop only for a while or not. Which ever way you wish to try it, my suggestion is to make sure they will all go into the coop section at night to sleep before you let them free range. That way they are more likely to return to their established place to sleep instead of looking for another place. Chickens are usually creatures of habit, get them in that habit.
Their ages range from 3 1/2 to 7 weeks old (give or take) and the biggest ones have been super ready but there was a delay in our coop. I’ve been giving them all outside time together everyday but I’m worried that if they all go in at once the smallest won’t be ready for the coop. They all seem pretty small still (especially compared to the big ones). The last ones were born on June 25 so they are almost 4 weeks old. Are they all ready to Go outside in the coop together?