Okay, coop is almost done!!! Now, the girls (and Smidge) have been living outside with their temporary house as an XL Dogloo. How do I move them inside? There IS a people door from the coop to their yard, so I was thinking as far as getting them inside, I can just lure them in through that door using treats. But, how do I get them to learn that THAT is their new "house" and not the Dogloo? Am I supposed to keep them shut in the coop for a couple of days? It is big enough in there that they have plenty of room (wanted to make sure in case they don't want to go out during the winter). I do not want to have to catch them and put them in through the chicken door - lol! There is no electricity, so I don't know about leaving a light on for them to get them to go in and be comfortable, although maybe a flash light would work? I also thought about putting the Dogloo in the coop for a little bit so they have something that is familiar in there until they are comfortable? Thanks all!
I would put the food and water into the coop and take the dogloo out, they will look for shelter whe it starts to get dark... My chickens are nosy mahybe yours are too
Sounds like that coop is a whole lot nicer than the Dogloo. They should really like it. Personally, when I move them from one coop opr pen to another, I catch them and move them one by one. If the rooster is old enough to be protective of his flock, I move him first. That way you are not tempting him to attack you if he sees you threatening his hens by catching them and carrying them away. If he is used to you catching the hens and carrying them around, it's not a big deal. But I just don't like giving any rooster any excuse to become human aggressive. I'm not sure how easy it will be for you to try to lure them, especially if they are not used to free ranging. They are often very scared about going anywhere new and unknown. But if you try it and it does not work, they will go back to the Dogloo to sleep, so you can catch them then. They are creatures of habit when it comes to bedtime. They like to go back where they have been safe. I'd suggest leaving them locked in the coop only for a week or so. They need to get used to the new coop as being home before they go to the run so they know where they are supposed to sleep at night. If they have access to the coop and run when making that decision, they could easily learn to sleep in the run. I do not see a big advantage in moving the Dogloo into the coop. They will find a comfortable place to sleep in there. I think it is best just to make a clean transition. Just do it and let them adjust. As nice as that coop sounds, they should really do fine.
I waited until all of mine had put themselves to bed on their outdoor/open air shelter roost. It was very dark and they were sleeping, it was nearly midnight. I moved them one by one to their coop and set each one on the roost, had to use a flashlight. I was as quiet and as gentle as i could be. It worked out just fine.
Thanks everyone I will let you know how it goes. I think I would have no trouble luring them in there, they are already curious about what is in there, they look through the window when we are working in there, and they are curious about the people door. It was pretty funny, they are not used to someone coming out of this "wall" that is at the end of their run that they've been living in for a while. When I first went out the door, it startled them and they ran to the other end of their yard, making loud noises. Then I went back in the door with their feeder, and went back out again with a full feeder. When I went back in again to close things up, most left the feeder and came over to the door, I could almost see their little minds working It sounds like moving them in there at night when they are sleeping would be less stress on them. I think I will do that! And yes, they are definitely nosy! I think they'd come in my house if I let them. When I turn them loose from their yard, they like to hang out at the back door, and I have to shoo them away to get in or out!
