New member from Oklahoma.

[fingerlickins]

I'm a first time chicken grower and new to the site. I have 8 babies around 6 weeks old, I think lol. I have 2 roo's and 6 hens I believe. I just put them in a covered pen with a coop in it. My coop is enclosed with a door on the top about 3 ft off the ground and under it is closed on 3 sides with the front open. I have a roosting pole in the top enclosure and nesting boxes on the bottom. How do I get them to sleep in the top in the roosting pole instead of in the nesting box? I can't even get them to go up the ramp into the roosting coop. Also, they will be totally free ranged when I can train them to roost in the top coop. At what age would you guys advise that I let them out? I have so many questions so I'll just stop there for now before I fill up 20 pages lol . Any advice about anything will be appreciated. Thank y'all so much in advance.

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC!

I think you first need to start in our learning center here on BYC for lots of great tips and hints on raising your new flock...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

The next thing you need to do is block off your nesting boxes. They won't be laying for a while yet, so close them off. When I first take my babies out to the coop for good, I like to lock them in the coop for a few days so they feel comfort in being there. Once a bird has slept in the coop a couple days, this trains them that this is the place you want to come to at night to sleep. So I suggest you do this for a couple days. At dusk, go out to the coop and get everybody on the roost bars where you want them. A couple nights of doing this, and you should have them trained. You can reopen the boxes in a month or so and then put some fake wooden, porcelain or clay eggs in the boxes a head of time so when they start coming into lay, they will know where to lay their eggs.

If you have any other questions, that is what we are here for. Welcome to our flock!

 

[fingerlickins]

Welcome to BYC!

I think you first need to start in our learning center here on BYC for lots of great tips and hints on raising your new flock...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

The next thing you need to do is block off your nesting boxes. They won't be laying for a while yet, so close them off. When I first take my babies out to the coop for good, I like to lock them in the coop for a few days so they feel comfort in being there. Once a bird has slept in the coop a couple days, this trains them that this is the place you want to come to at night to sleep. So I suggest you do this for a couple days. At dusk, go out to the coop and get everybody on the roost bars where you want them. A couple nights of doing this, and you should have them trained. You can reopen the boxes in a month or so and then put some fake wooden, porcelain or clay eggs in the boxes a head of time so when they start coming into lay, they will know where to lay their eggs.

If you have any other questions, that is what we are here for. Welcome to our flock! 

Thank you so much! My nest boxes are removable so I'll just take them out so I don't take away room from their run. I will lock them in the coop with the roost and cover the door with wire so they have air and light. Keeping them locked in there and training them to roost there, will it also make them use the ramp to get up there since it's up off the ground? Thanks so much!!!

 

[TwoCrows]

Quote: Once they get used to staying in the coop, and start to venture down the ramp from inside the coop, this will get them used to using it. Chicks and Chickens are leary of new things and have to be sure nothing is going to hurt them. So you have to get them used to things slowly. Eventually they will be running up and down the ramp like it is old hat!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! Congratulations on your new chicks! TwoCrows gave you some good advice about getting your babies used to the coop. It will take them awhile to get used to new places and consider it home, and a lot of six week old chicks aren't that keen on roosting yet. Are you feeding them in the top of the coop? Sprinkling some feed / treats on the ramp during the day will get them used to walking around on it also. And double check that your roost bars are easy for them to get onto and a comfortable for them.
With free ranging, it depends on how safe the area is and what predators you have, the smaller they are the more vulnerable they are. There are a lot of threads on free ranging and how people handle it in their situation if you want to do a search ie https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/701610/free-range-or-not-what-does-everyone-prefer

 

[fingerlickins]

Thanks, I just throw the feed on the ground for them but I'll obviously feed em in the coop while I lock em in there. I was thinking about diggin some worms and using the worms to get them on and up the ramp today before I lock them in there. Also, my roost bars are only about 3 inches off the floor of the coop for now. I will make them higher the bigger my birds get. Predators won't be a problem. I have a dog that will be very protective of the chickens.

 

[TwoCrows]

Be careful with too many worms. Earthworms can carry tape worms and this is something you definitely don't want. You might do better with mealworms, dried crickets or even pieces of bread. Once they start coming out of the coop and going down, they will go back up easier. I had to use food to lure my babies back into the coop when they were young. I used a scratch/seed mix that they totally loved. So when they saw me with the tray of food, and after night after night of the routine, the got the hang of going up the ramp and into the coop. But I still don't rely on them all getting inside at night and always do a head count and lock them in early enough to keep them safe from predators.

 

[fingerlickins]

Oh wow. Thanks for the info on earthworms, I had no idea. Where could I get live treats fort birds and what live treats do you recommend? I tried givin them bread the other day and they wasn't having any of it. They like June bugs or anything that moves kinda fast

 

[gander007]

 

[fingerlickins]

Thank you!