Made a tactical error

[Johnboy78]

Yesterday, 6 weeks on the dot, I moved the chicks from the basement to their home in the yard.
I had prepped the coop; blocked off the nesting boxes and put cardboard over half the rungs in
the coop, covered with pine shavings-just like the brooder box
Carried them up the stairs one by one and put them in the run.

As evening came on none had ventured up the ladder to the coop. As the sun was setting
I mixed up a batch of fruit and yogurt in the familiar bowl and put it at the coop door.
I put a flashlight inside the coop to make it light as darkness fell.
Neither had any effect. They huddled up in the darkness on the ground and went to sleep.

In retrospect I think I should have put them into the coop first. Then they could have
ventured into the run with the coop as home base. Maybe they would have figured it out.

This calls for desperate measures. Off to the pet store for waxworms. I'll try to lure the greedy
little suckers in with their favorite treat at 10 cents a bug. It's a good thing I don't do this for money

 

[N&MSchroeder]

Hi and

Yes, coop first then yard! They will figure it out.

 

[nuttyredhead]

. Cute coop! How many chicks do you have?

 

[Amyh]

That is the CUTEST little tractor I have ever seen!! Where did you get it??

I think you need to place them inside the enclosure just once or twice and then they will get it. Good luck!!

 

[littlebirdoz]

That is the cutest little coop. I love the boob looking things... waterer?

 

[Dybael]

OMG, I'm dealing with the exact same thing with my Eglu. My chicks are a bit younger, 4 1/2 weeks - they've feathered in well, the weather's nice, and they've outgrown my garage. I cut out the mesh bottom of a plastic plant tray and cable-tied it to the ladder to make it easier on their feet. For the past two days, dusk arrives and the chickens all squawk up a storm and... all try to roost on the ladder? Stupid birdbrains. Flashlight didn't work, treats didn't work... I'm hoping that if I physically put them in the coop enough times they'll eventually get the memo.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Yup, that's what they do. You can hope that after a few times of picking them up and placing them where you want them to sleep that they'll pick up the habit themselves. Chickens are creatures of habit, and also trend-followers, so if even a few start to get the idea then the others will join them.

But there are some who must have voices speaking in their heads a little louder than the rest, and are determined to roost in a different spot of their own choosing. It's certainly tempting to let them just stay there and be somebody's snack, otherwise you'll need to draw on all your reserves of patience and form your own habit of fetching them from their place and putting them in the coop, nightafternightafternightafternightafternight.

It also takes chicks a while to shed their preference for sleeping huddled in a big fuzzy pig pile and instead sleep up on a roost. And they stupidly like to pile in a corner pressed against the fence wire yeeping their heads off until the sun sets, a game I call "Bait Bucket".

It's not too early to train your chicks to come to you when called. This is a very helpful thing for your chicks to know, and will save you lots of time chasing & catching chickens. Put some scratch in a can and shake it, calling Here chick-chick-chick! or something, and toss them some scratch. It shouldn't take them long to associate that sound with the treat, and you can summon them from any corner of the yard after that.

 

[newtothis2011]

Quote:
I did this 2 times and now they go in all by themselves at night and my chicks are 4 1/2 weeks

 

[t_4_turtle]

My two girls are 4 weeks also, weather is nice so why not. First night saw them huddled together in a corner of the coop; broke my heart (was I putting them out too soon?) So I brought them back in. Next day took them straight inside coop; let them come out on their own as if they were there the whole night. Come night time same thing happened, so I brought them in once more and repeated the day before. Third night was a surprise! They went up all by themselves and were sound asleep!

I was so happy with giggles and oogly-googly noises I startled them into making peep noises.

They soon calmed down and I was so happy to let them out of the coop in the morning. So it took my 4 week old chicks 3 days to figure there new coop out. Good luck! Keep trying!

 

[Johnboy78]

Got the eglu cube at Omlet USA.
The "boobs" hold the feed,
the other holds the water.

I have 8 chicks.
The plan is to be able to let them out
to look for trouble once they settle in.

Naturally the pet store was out of waxworms.
Got crickets and they are interested but not
climbing up to get closerl.

And now the boomers have arrived and they
are huddled under the coop watching the rain.