New coop use

[stevehartnett]

I'm just finishing my coop and run for 21 pullets received as day old chicks the first week of December. Have roosts, nest shelves and free access. Why do they choose to group together outside at night and spend only daylight hours in the coop?

 

[mjdtexan]

Hmm, I am new to this too. My pullets are 13½ weeks old. I know they will not go in the coop at night if I dont have a little red party light on for them. They just will not. If it is not on they will all gather up in one spot and not move untill I go out there to close the pop door to keep them safe from predators and realize that I left the light off. I hope this helps.

Also, welcome to the forum.

 

[Buster]

If you coop them up inside the coop for a week they will get used to being inside of it and sleeping there. Once you let them out again, open the coop to let them out in the morning and close the coop to shut them in at dusk and they will get used to the schedule and go to roost at dark.

 

[Chicken Woman]

You must teach them where to roost. At dusk go out and put each one on the roost. Then close up the coop for the night. In the morning open it up.
I take treats like some scratch or black sunflower seeds. (wild bird seed) and lure them in by shaking the pan so they can here the treats. I then spread them over the shavings in the coop. When they get in a routine of getting treats and going to bed they will watch for you to come.

If you don't train them to sleep on the roosts they will sleep in nest boxes and poop in them. Then when your getting eggs you will have constant yucky nest boxes which makes for poopy eggs.

 

[mjdtexan]

I didnt have to teach the where to roost. They did that on their own almost immediatly. I did have to pick them up an shove them in the first night. Now, a 7pm when I go out there to shut the pop door they are in there. They do know they are going to get a "scratch" treat though after I shut the door.

 

[nivtup]

We have "several" batches of chicks we have moved to new quarters.

They seem to required some training on when to go in. The older group took three or four weeks of traing, but definately have it figured out.

Then the next age group, referred to as the teenagers, still cannot figure this whole inside outside thing out, in this case I am wondering if the ramp is to steep for them? There seems to be some relationship to the breed also. In this group we have RIR, Araucanas, and Buff Brahams growing out together. The Araucanas are in and out all the time. The others need to be encouraged to go out, and then pysically put back in.

The next younger group are in and out with ease. We still have to kind of encourage them to go in at dusk, although they run right in. More Araucanas, Ameraucanas, and a few Cuckoo Marans.

In our case, they huddle towards the west side of the run where the sky is lightest, and probably lighter than the coop.

So, in short, training.

Note to Self: Work on the steeper ramp today, it might be easier than moving the birds in the long run.