Teaching babies to roost inside at night?

[siroiszoo]

I have 26 Australorps and Orpingtons; 7 weeks old. They are very active and I fenced off and completely closed off the top of an area just outside the roost so the babies could be more free to test out their wings and get the exercise they are craving.

They've been allowed out for the past week. But I cannot get them to go back inside the roost at night. I have to wait until dark and go catch each one and put them inside. They pile in a tight group and sleep by the gate each night. I've tried to herd them back in at dusk, and some nights I pick them up and put them in after dark.

Has anyone else ever experienced anything like this? Is there any hope they will learn to sleep in the roost?

First time for owning these paticular breeds; only cochins, red stars, black stars, Rhode Islands, Wyndottes (sp?), etc. in the past.

Never had this problem before. Just curious about the behavior.

 

[Indiana hens]

It sounds as though the coop is too hot and they would rather stay outside. I can understand; gets stuffy in there sometimes.

 

[Judy]

Lots of people lock them up for a few days to teach them. Not sure what your setup is, whether they have that option. Maybe just keep trying. Maybe they are a bit young to want to roost? I'd they prefer something wide and flat, not rounded.

 

[siroiszoo]

Maybe they just like being outside.

I kept them in there for the first 6 weeks.
It is a big 10'x10', 8 foot tall enclosure; tin on 3 sides with a foot or more of chicken mesh on the top 3 sides for ventilation; and chicken mesh over the entire front with a nice screen door for the opening. And it's built under a nice huge shady Arizona Ash tree.

The only other thing may be that just before I let them out, a snake got in and tried to eat one but the chick was too big. Maybe they remember that and don't want to be inside.

OMG! Could that be it?!?!?!

 

[astylishgirl]

I have the SAME problem. I put my babies out in the in-between coop/run last night. At 3 am, I remembered that I hadn't checked to see if they went in the coop. They were all huddled up in the wet grass. So we scooted them all into the coop.

This morning they all came out into the run. So at least they got that part down.

 

[siroiszoo]

Quote:
Yeah, mine have the running out part down pat.

You know, we have roosts in there, althougth I feel these are too young for it (we have mature hens that particularly like this paticular hen house better than the other one we build or stole from a horse and turned into a hen house LOL!)

They nest huddled together on the ground which is fine. I just want them to do it inside the safety of the hen house.

Let me know if you find a solution to getting them to go in at night.

 

[ShaggysGirl]

When I first put my babies in the coop they were still pretty young so I kept them in for several days. The only time they did not go back in the coop at dusk if the day I forgot to turn on their light so it was dark in the coop. Three were sleeping in the coop hen door and the other 13 were on the ground right next to it. so if you can keep them lock in a few days then have a light on in there and they will naturally go to the lighted area.

 

[siroiszoo]

Quote:
Wow! Worth a try! I haven't used a light because it's so darned hot here.

But I will try it! Thanks!

 

[siroiszoo]

Quote:
Wow! Worth a try! I haven't used a light because it's so darned hot here.

But I will try it! Thanks!

 

[muell112]

I set a light on a timer so right around dusk they all seem to make their way inside when the light turns on. This is my first year with chickens and it seems to work like clockwork. Now they put themselves to bed slightly before the light turns on.