Six week old chicks behaving like teens with attitude

[aa704]

I'm needing some advice. My six week old chicks are giving me some issues still with going in for the night. I've read some of the advice others have gotten to get their chicks to go in but none of it has worked for these rebellious teens. We're still having issues getting all of them to go in and stay in. We have 41 chicks, of which there may be 30 who will start to go in to roost or huddle under the heat lamp on their own, and when the rest of these wily 'teens' are being rebellious and staying out way past their bedtime and it's gotten dark out, we fairly easuly can find them as they are now all huddled under the coop having their own little party (it's so dark they don't even see us coming for them), and when we put them in the coop, the ones who were content to be in decide to sneak back out on us. Maybe the trouble is that we have 41 'teens' all with a mind of their own and who think mom and dad don't know anything. Any advice on what we can do to help them see that mom and dad are just doing what's best for them by trying to keep them safe would greatly be appreciated.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

This is their Pre Teen age right now.Really there is no way into them seeing you doing whats best,just slowly keep putting them in at night,they should catch on.

 

[aa704]

I think I'm going to try and ground them for the next several days and keep them in their coop. In their six weeks they have never been without some sort of light. I'm thinking they have no cocept of day or night. We live in northern Minnesota and it's forecast to be bellow freezing the next couple of nights but am planning on leaving the heat lamp off for a couple of hours after dark in attempt to teach them

 

[aa704]

As I reread what I wrote, it sounds like I'm trying to teach my chicks a lesson by making them suffer in the cold. That's not what I what I meant at all. What I meant is that I think I need to reset their clocks so they understand what day is versus night. I'm planning on leaving the lamps off until they all get situated in the coop and then I'll turn them back on later in the night so they don't get too cold. I'm hoping that by doing this, they may learn when night is and they'll start getting themselves in at dusk so we're not having to catch them to put them away when we let them run through the yard during the day.

 

[Jensownzoo]

If you think they still need supplemental heat, you can get one of the ceramic heating bulbs they have for reptiles. No light is emitted so the day/night cycles are natural. Or you could do a heating pad instead.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

They will need heat in Freezibg cokd weather.

 

[Jensownzoo]

They will need heat in Freezibg cokd weather.

Depends on how well feathered out they are. The coop is presumably not drafty. I had 8 week olds outside in a chain-link dog kennel with a tarp wind block and a dog house filled with straw. It was 70 degrees when I put them out and snowed the next day. They were fine. I could have put them out sooner and felt good about it, but I had to predator-proof the kennel first.

 

[aa704]

Day one of the experiment. It went well. I was able to keep mother hen (my wife) from sneaking out to the coop and turning on the heat lamp. It was 30 degrees out but stayed 54 in the coop. I did go out at 10:30 and turn the heat lamps on. All the kids were either on their roost or snuggled together very comfortably. Even though it was only a couple of hours it was their 1st time in total darkness, they did get themselves settled in before it was "lights out alice".

 

[TheTwoRoos]

2 montha old can survive 54 (my 7 weeks did.)But 30 seems a little extreme.

 

[Jensownzoo]

2 montha old can survive 54 (my 7 weeks did.)But 30 seems a little extreme.

If they're feathered out, they are essentially wearing down snowsuits and as long as a strong draft doesn't ruffle the feathers and allow their body warmth out (such as in a coop), then you'll have to worry about the water freezing before you have to worry about the 2 month old chicks. They'll snuggle together down in the bedding if they get cold. Or if they're like mine were, venture out of their housing to investigate the strange white stuff that is falling out of the sky.

I'm not saying you HAVE to kick them out in freezing temperatures, but (once feathered out) they are much more cold-hearty than you would think. This does not apply to silkies or frizzles though...they don't have regular feathers to keep in the warmth.