Moving my chicks to a new coop

[Jfo76]

We have had our babies since March, however they have been in a larger dog crate in my garage. Mostly due to critters getting my older chickens outside. I have been unsucessful having them sleep in the coop outside. Any suggestions?? Help!

 

[snow5164]

Firstly you need to secure your coop and run from predators,

If your big hens are getting killed the chicks have no chance.

What do you think is getting them?

 

[Jfo76]

I have secured it better now. But they refuse to stay upstairs and roost. I took care of the racoon that ate my hen. 5 of them and 5 baby skunks also.
I would feel better with a walk in coop with a door, but they are expensive .

 

[rosemarythyme]

Are you not locking up the coop at night? They can't refuse to sleep inside if you simply lock them in. A coop that can't be locked up when you already had predation is an open invitation to more predator problems.

Are your existing older chickens (if any) giving the younger ones a hard time and trying to chase them out of the coop?

What does the set up look like? Photos help. Sounds like there's a lot of predator proofing still to be done, or something that needs changing in the set up.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome to the forum, glad you joined,

So your young ones are about 4 months old, not yet mature but getting reasonably close. How many older chickens do you have, how many young ones, and what are their sexes?

How big, in feet, are your coop and your run? How much roost space do you have? Photos of the overall set-up and inside your coop could help. Do you lock them up in the coop at night or do you leave the door between the coop and run open? What have you done to try to get them to sleep with the adults?

It is really normal for immature birds like yours to be afraid of mature birds, even if they have been raised in the flock. When they are settling in to sleep is when mine can be most brutal to each other so it is not unusual to have problems getting them to stay in the same area at night. We have tricks and techniques to get around many of these problems but which might help you will depend a lot on how much room you have and how that room is arranged. That's why all the questions.

Congratulations on eliminating certain critters that were hunting on your property. As you saw, eliminating a few doesn't get rid of all the threat, there are always others ready to move in, but it does get rid of some of the immediate threat. Long term it's barriers that are going to protect your chickens from all the ones being born, weaned, and going off in search of their own hunting territory. If you want us to critique your barriers you can let us know what you have. Some of us may go a bit overboard in our suggestions but if you've kept the young ones in the garage until they are 4 months old you may be willing to go a bit overboard.

 

[Jfo76]

Are you not locking up the coop at night? They can't refuse to sleep inside if you simply lock them in. A coop that can't be locked up when you already had predation is an open invitation to more predator problems.

Are your existing older chickens (if any) giving the younger ones a hard time and trying to chase them out of the coop?

What does the set up look like? Photos help. Sounds like there's a lot of predator proofing still to be done, or something that needs changing in the set up.

I have since secured thw coop. But they are refusing to go upstairs and roost. So I made bars down below. They pace and squawk and freak out. Should I just let them stay there? I always cave and bring them inside..

 

[Jfo76]

I have secured it better now. But they refuse to stay upstairs and roost. I took care of the racoon that ate my hen. 5 of them and 5 baby skunks also.
I would feel better with a walk in coop with a door, but they are expensive .

Any suggestions? I shut the coop up at night and feel so bad because they pace non stop and squawk like crazy even after dark. So I let them in. I think I started a bad habit.

 

[aart]

I have since secured thw coop. But they are refusing to go upstairs and roost. So I made bars down below. They pace and squawk and freak out. Should I just let them stay there? I always cave and bring them inside..

After dark put them in the coop and close it up and walk away, they'll get used to it.
A pic of your coop would really help here.
Did your older chickens get eaten while in this same coop at night or free ranging or...?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Any suggestions? I shut the coop up at night and feel so bad because they pace non stop and squawk like crazy even after dark. So I let them in. I think I started a bad habit.

How to say this without being patronizing or an a**hole. In this case someone needs to be the adult. Tough love can save lives. They really will get used to it.

 

[Jfo76]

After dark put them in the coop and close it up and walk away, they'll get used to it.
A pic of your coop would really help here.
Did your older chickens get eaten while in this same coop at night or free ranging or...?

The older chick got eaten while in the coop- they found a way in. I have secured it now. To add to the trauma drama. One hen I have left witnessed the trauma if the killing while in the coop with her friend she also refuses to go up at night. Should I just get a new coop altogether? I will take a photo