Last Ditch Effort to Get Chicks into Coop at Night

[jennymoop]

Hi all,
It's been 2 weeks since we put our chicks outside. They are now 5 weeks old. We put them out in the coop/a very small run area under the coop at 3 weeks (with a heat lamp for the nights). Well, after two weeks of taking them up to their coops every night, we are STILL going out at dusk to catch them and put them away. They squawk and complain all the way to the coop but once inside, they hop right on their roosts and go to bed peacefully.

I have read a gazillion posts on this same subject and I feel like I've tried everything. I guess my biggest mistake was that I didn't lock them in their coop for their first few days outside (lesson learned). Now I can't lock them in there because it's too hot. I've offered treats (they don't come to them), cleaned and inspected the coop for pests, put a flashlight going up the ramp, etc. etc. My husband thinks that they're counting too much on us and we shouldn't go out there tonight- just let them sleep where they will (their run is predator proof, but still...). I have just been out there "warning" them that bedtime is coming- I put their food up in the coop, mealworms on the ramp, and turned the light on, but I have no hope that tonight will be any different from any other night! We are supposed to go out of town for two nights and I can't expect my family members to literally live at my house just to get these girls to go to bed.

So, can anyone think of anything I haven't tried? Maybe it's too hot up there??? It's been 100+ here for several days, but this being Colorado it gets down to about 60-65 at night and I was under the impression that they needed about 70-75 degrees at 5 weeks (I have the heat lamp going and they choose to roost under the light). My last thought is to lock them in their coop and somehow run a fan to the coop for the next couple of days to keep them cool.

I am quickly losing patience for this!

Thanks so much!!!
Jenny

 

[Fred's Hens]

Do they have to "walk a plank" to get up there, as you put it? Have you seen them master that skill?
Are you putting them inside at dusk? Earlier then dusk?
Judge for yourself, is it still hot up there at dusk? My guess is that if you have 100 during the day, the coop hasn't cooled off by dusk. It may take until 11 pm to actually get rid of the built up heat.

BTW, at 5 weeks, no. They don't need a heat lamp anymore. It' is way too warm, even at night, for their needing any supplemental heat.

 

[jennymoop]

Wow! Fast reply! Thanks! I LOVE this website!

Thanks for the heating tip. I took away the heat lamp and replaced it with just a regular light to "guide" them upstairs. As far as "mastering" the ramp, I've seen them go up to their coop of their own free will during the day, but I have to admit that they don't walk up but rather do a sort of fly/hop thing up there. Maybe I need to make the ramp longer and less steep?

 

[boisseau95]

OK, this sounds crazy but I SWEAR it works with our chickens! We just say, "Coop!" over and over as we prod them along into the coop. About 5 years ago when we first starting raising chickens and ducks, we really had to chase them. They eventually learn. But they do learn the word coop. You just say it over and over and get them into the coop. Eventually they make their way into it when you say coop. Good luck!

 

[jennymoop]

Update: after an hour of using various coaxing methods, including saying "coop!" and herding them up, my husband convinced me to leave them be. I put a headlamp in the coop & gave up at about 9:20 (after dark). Well, I went & checked the ladies this a.m. and they were roosting in the coop! I have no idea what time they finally went up there. I hope this becomes a pattern. Maybe they're night owls?

 

[joan1708]

once they have gone to sleep they are easy to catch. So pick them up and put them in the coop for a few days. Of course you will have to make sure it's not to hot in there. There's a remote thermometer you can get at home depot that will display the temp in the house. It also displays the high and low of that day. If you are concerned about the temp, you may want to monitor it for a day or two before you lock your chics in there. I hope you are safe from the fires where you are!

 

[Judy]

They don't need any light in the coop; they will rest better without, but it needs to have a hole or window so that natural light gets in, and it gets dark naturally in there. There should be enough air movement in there that it is never warmer than outdoors. If your coop isn't in the shade, you may need to hang a tarp over it. or the like. 100 degrees is their upper limit. Every year I read stories on here of chickens dying due to heat in the summer.

My coop is open to the air for about 1/3 of its wall space and I run a box fan all summer. Sometimes they hang around in it during the heat of the day, in preference to shady spots in their yard, I assume because it's cooler.

 

[boisseau95]

We have a regular 60 watt light bulb in our coop, not a heat lamp. My husband read somewhere that they need it for laying (???). Anyway, we also have learned that the chickens/ducks usually head in when it starts to get dark. Ducks don't always go in like the chickens do, they like to stay out longer I guess. It just takes time for them to learn to go in. Yelling "coop" may not work for everyone, it just works for us. Good luck!

 

[centrarchid]

Another trick. Withhold food so they are hungry at end of day just before going to roost. Then use food to bait them into coop. If all goes well they will fill crops and get powerfull urge to roost while in coop after walking in on their own. Then lock them in so they can sleep and release them next morning to repeat process. My logic is they need to imprint on roosting site and part of the imprinting is how to get there on their own. Lighting (natural best but very low intensity artificial can be used as well) and heating issues are still to be considered important as they can cause imprinted birds to move out. Window can help with lighting and ventilation.