Roosting

[Ebal]

Rather new at this - Have my 5 week old hens in the coop I made from and old kids playhouse. In the coop at night but I am letting them out in a 8x16' run in the AM ... half covered run.... Starting to let them out to free range and hour or so in late afternoon. They have access in and out of the coop all day. Feed and water in the coop at night. Small amount of food in the coop + water at night. Temp in the mid 70's here in GA during the day and 50ish at night. Do keep a heat lamp on at night in the coop.

Happy out in the run! Also seem happy in the coop when inside. They go in and out on their own throughout the day.

Trying to resolve a couple of problems.

1) Chicks wont go into coop on their own at night to roost. Though they do go in and out during the day. With light on and door open to the coop, I will go out to coop at dusk or just after dark and they are all huddled together in a corner of the run.
(this is first week of letting them out during the day to roam the run) I pick them up one by one and put them in the coop, close the doors, and let em out again in the AM. Tempted to just leave them out in the run, thinking they will go in if they get cold. Are they smart enough??? Do they just want to be outside maybe?

2) My chicken access door into coop is not at floor level of the coop. It was a window to the playhouse and 3-4 feet high. have ramps up from run and down to coop floor from window (door) ledge. My chicks want to roost on the coop ramp and of course poop all over it. Built two wood roost bars in the coop with the poop trey under it. They are higher than the ramp and window. My intended target ( poop tray) is rarely being hit. Id say 75% of roosting is going on on the ramp/ladder and a few roost on bars or floor ( pine shavings) .

Nothing urgent and not in a panic mode but just want them to do it MY way!!!

Any thoughts

 

[SobbaChickens]

I can't really help with issue #2 but issue #1 is that they don't see the coop as "home". Normally when people put the chicks into the coop the chicks are kept locked in the coop constantly for a number of days before they are allowed out into the run or yard.

As far as the heat lamp, are your chicks completely feathered? My 6 are 5ish weeks old and I am not giving them their heat lamp at all anymore. I'm in Kansas so in the past few days the temps have been in the low 30s (I did give them the lamp at night only) to low 90s

Dang mother nature!


Katie

 

[naadarien]

I'm a noob, but I'd think #2 is partially related to #1. If they feel comfortable that the coop is their home, they'll like rooting in it.

But the other part is likely that the ramp is too much like a roost. You might have to cut a door at ground level. The other (non-chicken) birds I have owned had ladders and ramps (with cleats) and they pretty much did the same thing, sat (and shat) on the ramps and ladders. They like being high up and off the ground when not rooting. It seems like the ramp is a tempting place to be. Just a thought...

 

[Amastacia]

Rather new at this - Have my 5 week old hens in the coop I made from and old kids playhouse. In the coop at night but I am letting them out in a 8x16' run in the AM ... half covered run.... Starting to let them out to free range and hour or so in late afternoon. They have access in and out of the coop all day. Feed and water in the coop at night. Small amount of food in the coop + water at night. Temp in the mid 70's here in GA during the day and 50ish at night. Do keep a heat lamp on at night in the coop.

Happy out in the run! Also seem happy in the coop when inside. They go in and out on their own throughout the day.

Trying to resolve a couple of problems.

1) Chicks wont go into coop on their own at night to roost. Though they do go in and out during the day. With light on and door open to the coop, I will go out to coop at dusk or just after dark and they are all huddled together in a corner of the run.
(this is first week of letting them out during the day to roam the run) I pick them up one by one and put them in the coop, close the doors, and let em out again in the AM. Tempted to just leave them out in the run, thinking they will go in if they get cold. Are they smart enough??? Do they just want to be outside maybe?

2) My chicken access door into coop is not at floor level of the coop. It was a window to the playhouse and 3-4 feet high. have ramps up from run and down to coop floor from window (door) ledge. My chicks want to roost on the coop ramp and of course poop all over it. Built two wood roost bars in the coop with the poop trey under it. They are higher than the ramp and window. My intended target ( poop tray) is rarely being hit. Id say 75% of roosting is going on on the ramp/ladder and a few roost on bars or floor ( pine shavings) .

Nothing urgent and not in a panic mode but just want them to do it MY way!!!

Any thoughts

if i'm reading this right, you have a light on in the coop? i know mine go into the coop when the sun gets low, so maybe having the light on is scaring them from going in at night. if they are looking for a place to sleep, they probably don't want to go where there is a light. i'd try turning the light off before dusk and see if they go in then.

 

[Percheron chick]

#1, just pick them up and put them in the coop at night. It is pretty common for them to not go inside when they are that young. I would not leave them out at night. You don't want to attract any night time prowlers anymore than you already are.

#2, chicks typically don't roost at night at that age. They are more apt to huddle together somewhere on the ground until they are 2+ months old (my group of 11 week olds still sleep in their box in the coop). They'll figure it out. I'd bed down an area to get them off the ground (4-6 inches of shavings or straw) and unplug the heat lamp. They will keep each other warm in a big puppy pile and the ground won't suck the heat out of their body. Your perches might be too high for them to use now as well. My little birds use the perch 6" off the ground but not the one 2' up.

 

[Ebal]

Well the light is really a red heat lamp. Started with it in a small brooder - Moved them and lamp into the coop for a couple of weeks with no outside access othere than an hour or two in the run. Then just started this week letting them out into run all day.

 

[ChickenGeorgeAR]

Great information! I put my 5 week olds out for the first time last night and tried to get them to stay in the coop but they would fly out the minute I turned my back. They slept in the corner of the run. The coop and run are completely enclosed and secure. They free range while I'm home in the afternoons so they are in familiar surroundings. Guess I will have to put them in the coop and close the door to hold them inside at night for a few nights? Correct?

 

[Ebal]

Well my experience - (1st batch) was

3 weeks in a small 3x5 brooder cage with lamp -
1 week in coop . confined and all food and water in coop
1 week with limited run access - hour or so an evening and I would physically put them back in coop and close.
1 week and running with chicken door open in the AM .... They have access to coop and run all day - Wander inside some but mostly outside. there is food and water available outside and in coop. I have to put them in coop at dark. Otherwise the appear to want to huddle up in a corner of the run. I clos the chic door at dark.