Roosting and bedtime

[SkipperDoo]

I thought about that but want them to like/trust me. I will try the curtain at night and then block off nesting box?

 

[Silviaschicks]

To get then to gain your trust, sit near them. Put some treats around you and in your hand and if you do that a couple times they should get more comfortable being around you, especially if they will eat treats from your hand

 

[Ridgerunner]

any ideas?

At 12 weeks they are not near laying and it sounds like you don't have any older hens that are laying. I try to take the easy approach, easy for you and for them. I'd block off the nests so they cannot go in them at all, day or night. See where they sleep. That may be all it takes to solve that problem.

I would want the nests opened back up around 15 to 16 weeks so the nests are available if they start laying soon after that. You don't want to teach them to lay somewhere other than the nest but you also don't want them sleeping in the nests. Give them time to get in the habit of sleeping on the roosts before you open the nests back up.

As far as taming them it takes patience and food. Hopefully you have shade in the run. Take a chair down there and read for a while. Do not do anything to startle the chickens, don't pay any attention to them. After a while, leave. Try that again a few times, being non-threatening. Patience and consistency. You can scatter some food around you but give them time. They may not get anywhere close to you for a few times but eventually they will. Let them learn that they can trust you before you try grabbing them or scaring them.

 

[3KillerBs]

As far as taming them it takes patience and food. Hopefully you have shade in the run. Take a chair down there and read for a while. Do not do anything to startle the chickens, don't pay any attention to them. After a while, leave. Try that again a few times, being non-threatening. Patience and consistency. You can scatter some food around you but give them time. They may not get anywhere close to you for a few times but eventually they will. Let them learn that they can trust you before you try grabbing them or scaring them.

I followed your advice a year ago and while my chickens are not cuddle pets, I can barely walk in the run because they swarm around my ankles looking for treats (weeds), and attention.

 

[SkipperDoo]

Thank you both for the info. Their run is in the shade and covered with the white panels. I did get them to eat out of my hand pretty much right away, but can not touch them. Oh and wow, if they see anything new that i may bring into pen,(Hand shovel, bucket, child size rake, they FLIP out. I put a 6 ft long thick branch next to a tree stump I put in , about 10 inches off ground. They were terrified, but did come out an hour later and they love it. You're right, I know I need to be patient. One thing I really like that I did was add a digital thermometer that I had, it gives temps inside my home and outside.< so I put the outside one in the coop so I will always be aware of temps in winter and summer.(lol, not that it has anything do do with what my question was, lol) I don't really care about the eggs, lol, I want them as pets, oh and they make me laugh all the time. The chicken in my picture by my name is the one that made me want chickens. I watched a neighbors for 6 weeks and loved it, and this sweet little girl let me hold her her <3

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Yes it's normal. Chicks are normally taught by adults to roost so if you don't have older chickens, they may take a while to get it. If you leave them to their own devices they should figure it out over time, but if you'd rather push the issue you can put them on the roost once it's dark to show them that's where to sleep. Up to you, no wrong or right way to handle it.

It took 10 weeks before my girls started roosting at night. In fact, the final straw was when i said I’m going out there to manually put them on the roost! I get there and all chickens are roosting. I was so happy!