Moving Chicks to Coop

[WendyTestaburger]

We were a little behind on our coop construction so my 7 week old chicks just spent their first night in the coop last night. 4 used the roost and cuddled together, 2 slept on the floor and cuddled (those 2 have never been big on roosts for some reason). There is a covered run that they've been spending the days in for the last few weeks when the weather is nice but then back to their garage brooder at night.

I've read I'm suppose to lock them in the coop for 3 days to teach them this is their new home but with temperatures in the low to mid 90s I worry about them getting heat stress. I do have a small fan and the top is all hardware cloth so ventilation should be good but I wanted to ask if anyone had success manually putting chicks into he coop at night and they learned to go in on their own eventually? I have an automatic door that I am planning on opening and shutting myself for now so that nobody gets left outside alone but I'd like to teach them when to go in at night and wanted to ask for advice!

 

[sourland]

I'd try placing/herding them into the coop in the evening.

 

[DobieLover]

We were a little behind on our coop construction so my 7 week old chicks just spent their first night in the coop last night. 4 used the roost and cuddled together, 2 slept on the floor and cuddled (those 2 have never been big on roosts for some reason). There is a covered run that they've been spending the days in for the last few weeks when the weather is nice but then back to their garage brooder at night.

I've read I'm suppose to lock them in the coop for 3 days to teach them this is their new home but with temperatures in the low to mid 90s I worry about them getting heat stress. I do have a small fan and the top is all hardware cloth so ventilation should be good but I wanted to ask if anyone had success manually putting chicks into he coop at night and they learned to go in on their own eventually? I have an automatic door that I am planning on opening and shutting myself for now so that nobody gets left outside alone but I'd like to teach them when to go in at night and wanted to ask for advice!

Please post pictures of the coop.

You do not need to lock them into the coop for 3 days. They need to be in there 'setup'. That includes the enclosed run and coop.

If there is a ramp to navigate to get back into the coop, you will need to teach them how to navigate it. A mealworm trail works well. The first few will follow it in as you keep replacing it and the others learn by watching them.

If the coop has lots of open ventilation, there should be enough light for them to see to get back in. Eventually the 2 that aren't roosting will learn to do so.

 

[DobieLover]

There are two roosts at the same height. The ceiling is hardware cloth. Edited to add: This was before I put their wood shavings, food and water inside. I've since moved their food and water to the run where they're hanging out now. Should injust leave the food and water in the run overnight since I'm not locking them in for days?

View attachment 2807207

What are the dimensions of this coop? It looks very very small for six birds. And you do not have enough roof space for six birds. You want to target six linear feet. I would run another roost right down the center parallel to the long side of the coop.
Can you please also post pictures of your run? Is it completely predator-proof?

 

[21hens-incharge]

Thread locked per OP's request.

Thank you to all who contributed.