Question about getting chickens to bed

[NorthwoodsChick]

Im new to all this, but what time are you going out there? Mine have only been outside for 2 weeks (they are 6-7 weeks old) and if we go out too early they arent inside. But anything after 830 and they put themselves to bed. I noticed i kept going too early!

Welcome to BYC.
Same here. If I go out too early the whole flock comes running out for another ‘evening walk’. But if I have patience and park my butt until just after dusk they are in the coop, or in the run at least.
I dont want them in the habit of me ushering them to roost every evening but watching their chicken antics so so darn fun. Honestly I think it was easier getting my kids to be when they were toddlers

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

Which breeds in particular? I know daylight impacts laying. My neighbors chickens lay through the winter but at greatly reduced rate. Since it's August and no eggs yet (I think we're getting close) that it would be short lived this year. I'm curious to see how it plays out. I'm leaving for vacation in 10 days.....mark my words, they will start laying while I'm gone.

My nightmares are made of these: leaving for a wedding out of state and I will be gone 15 days. The nightmare part-Chicken sitter forgets to collect ALL the eggs and I come home to an angry broody ready to hatch a clutch

 

[LizGio]

Can't you just put something uncomfortable on the nest boxes.maybe they'll go inside to the next best place and make it a habit?

 

[Larafamilychickens]

So my 5 birds have been moved into their coop and run for a little over a month. I had read that they needed to stay solely in their coop for the first couple days to a week to learn where their home was and make it easier to get them to go back inside at night. I would've kept them in their longer, but there was a heatwave after the 3rd day and it was cooler outside than in their coop and I had read 3 days should be fine. However they haven't been going in their coop at night on their own. Every night I have to pick them each up and place them in their coop. Some of them cooperate but the others run around and do not wanna go in. Is this normal? Is there any way to get them all to go in voluntarily?

Treats!!! My chickens love treats, they will come in from free ranging to get treats, they will go in the coop for treats. I’d say they really love dried meal worms, but my chickens aren’t too picky. Also, it has helped having, basically an “inner run.” It’s a fenced off area around the coop, so the only place they can go is inside the coop.

We finished our coop in July so leaving them locked up was not really an option, so we penned them up in the inner run. Even so I still had to go out in a couple rainstorms and coax them inside with treats, but they got it pretty quickly.

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

Wait....so it's possible my pullets will continue to lay through the winter? I'm in PA. Please tell me more!

I'm in the Laurentian mountains north of Montreal QC, Canada, and I got an egg per hen all days of the year until they were 2yrs 6months old. Now I have 5 or 6 (for 8 hens). But mine were production birds, so they have aging related issues that will not let them live to be old hens I am afraid.

I have a light in the coop, I turn it off when I go do a final check at my bedtime and they have food 24/7. They always have some of their feed at night, the lower priority hens (the most avid layers) are skinny, but I see them take a few bites of food at night, when the highest ranking hens are sleeping.

I suspect 'food confidence' helps them lay, as scarcity would tell their brain not to make more babies to feed.

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

Treats!!! My chickens love treats...

it has helped having, basically an “inner run.” It’s a fenced off area around the coop, so the only place they can go is inside the coop.

My girl free-range around the coop, and when I go in to clean sometimes i'll put out some soaked grains in different stages of sprouting (cheaper than mealworms) so they always come around when I am at the coop 'in case' there are fresh snacks

Their habit helps when I have to put them in early (if I have to go out and will be back after sunset.). Yesterday I had to go out at 5pm, so I went out to clean and change water bowls, and they followed me in to see what I was doing and I just closed the door behind me, everyone was inside.

But I still have a struggle getting the ducks in for the night. We had huge rainstorms lately so the garden looks like a wetland and they just don't want to go to bed when there is so much to explore!

 

[ck_in_mn]

We kept our chicks inside quite late this year due to cold weather, almost mid-June. When we finally put them outside it took them a few days to figure out the coop/pen situation. They were also scared of the dark after a couple months of 24/7 heat lamp, and didn't understand perching right away. They'd huddle on the floor in the corner and scream, I was worried they'd suffocate each other fighting for who got the spot closest to the corner. I bought a cheap rechargeable nightlight that had different color options as well as brightness levels. Over time, I reduced the hours and brightness of the light, and would go out each night and place them on the perch. They figured everything out after a couple weeks and I could always count on them marching into the coop at dusk and lining up on the perch. It may take a bit of time, but eventually they learn the routine.

 

[LizGio]

We kept our chicks inside quite late this year due to cold weather, almost mid-June. When we finally put them outside it took them a few days to figure out the coop/pen situation. They were also scared of the dark after a couple months of 24/7 heat lamp, and didn't understand perching right away. They'd huddle on the floor in the corner and scream, I was worried they'd suffocate each other fighting for who got the spot closest to the corner. I bought a cheap rechargeable nightlight that had different color options as well as brightness levels. Over time, I reduced the hours and brightness of the light, and would go out each night and place them on the perch. They figured everything out after a couple weeks and I could always count on them marching into the coop at dusk and lining up on the perch. It may take a bit of time, but eventually they learn the routine.

Another reason why I love the heat plate! It helps them follow natural light cycle.

 

[lkgerr1]

So my 5 birds have been moved into their coop and run for a little over a month. I had read that they needed to stay solely in their coop for the first couple days to a week to learn where their home was and make it easier to get them to go back inside at night. I would've kept them in their longer, but there was a heatwave after the 3rd day and it was cooler outside than in their coop and I had read 3 days should be fine. However they haven't been going in their coop at night on their own. Every night I have to pick them each up and place them in their coop. Some of them cooperate but the others run around and do not wanna go in. Is this normal? Is there any way to get them all to go in voluntarily?

My flock was all the same age as well. We put a light on in the coop in the evenings and they used that to guide them to bed. We stopped after a few weeks but still check each evening (auto door closes) and during the heatwave had to reopen door and shoo them inside.

 

[Hensintexas]

Most of ours are approaching the one year mark. We still have a few who won’t go in the hen house by themselves. Our youngest ones (4 months) would rather roost in the half-dead persimmon tree located in the middle of the run. It’s hilarious dragging them out of there in the dark, but I figure they’ll get the right idea soon. Patience, patience . . .