I just built a coop for my chickens (10 weeks old) as they were living inside my home in a huge cage. How do I get them accustomed to living in the coop? They cried and cried when I put them there the other night that I had to bring them back in the house...they were breaking my heart! Also...I noticed that they will not go up to the "house" part of the coop and only want to perch on the log down below. Will they ever go inside to sleep at night? I'm concerned about them. Please help. As you can tell by my questions, I'm very new to this.
Quote:Give them some time. Don't bring them back indoors. Sit with them. Bring treats. Put treats in the house part. Be sure the perch is comfortable, at least as wide as the wide side of a 2x4, and be sure the house is well ventilated and not stuffy or hot. Chickens do not like change but are happier outdoors. And next time, brood them outdoors.
I think it is very important to keep them inside until they know where home is. So many people later write on here that they cant get their chickens in at night and they cant get their chickens to lay in their nest boxes. I kept my chickens in and then after a couple of weeks i opened their little pop door to their run. They now all go in at night. Also, chickens cant see well if at all at night. Put each chicken up on the roost each evening just before dark. I put a tiny night light out in my coop for awhile until mine ajusted. I found them huddled together in a corner, scared. I also would go into my coop and say "treat treat" and gave them little treats each day and now when i say treat treat they come running to me. I let mine out of the run each evening for a couple of hours and watch them. They go in by themselves just before dark and if i want them to go in earlier i say treat treat and when they are all by me i walk into their run and they come in with me. They just love raisins.
Quote:I agree. I would shut them in the coop for a few days. Let them get used to it. I shut my birds in their coop for a few days. Also every evening about the time I would want them in the coop I would take some treats out to them and give them the treats in their coop. After I let them out I continued the treats in the coop in the evenings. They started going into the coop at night and I would shut their pop door after everyone was in for their treats. I gave them scratch grains as I tried bread which is one of their favorites but they would run out with the pieces. Slowly I cut back on the treats. Now they go in their coop before dark. In the beginning I would round them up and put them in their coop but that got old pretty quickly. Also I have a night light in their coop. I think the light helps. If you have nest boxes block them so they won't get into the habit of sleeping in them.
