My girls don't go in the coop!

[allisonwndrlnd]

What's wrong with my chickens?? Everything I read and everyone I know with chickens says that their chickens go into the coop at night to roost on their own. Not mine. They will huddle in the corner if the run when the sun goes down and I have to turn on the heat lamp in the coop to get them in. They are 6 weeks and I don't think they need the heat lamp anymore but it's the only way they go into the coop at night. Do I need to get them a night light?

 

[subhanalah]

Before it gets dark, about 30 minutes before, take them and place them on their perches. How high are their perches? Can they reach them? How long have they been living outside?

 

[allisonwndrlnd]

They can reach them, they will roost as soon as we move them into the coop. They just don't go in on those own when it gets dark. They have been outside for about a week.

 

[subhanalah]

It takes time to train them to recognize the coop as "home". Just work with them every day and eventually they will get it. If there is ample space in the coop, you can leave them locked inside for two weeks, or as we were talking about, train them every day. You can feed them at night before they go to sleep to lure them into the coop. You can also use their favorite treats to lure them. It'll just take a little bit of time, but they will catch on.