they wont go in at night!

[chicksrule1]

I have 7 week old chicks outside in a coop with an attached run. They are in there full time right now. Problem is, when it is dark they just huddle up in a corner and do not go into the coop. I did lock them up for a few days when they first went out there so they knew that was home. I have food and water in the run and the coop. What do i do to get them to go in on their own? I am going out of town overnight in a few weeks and i don't want them out in the run all night. Any suggestions??

 

[Happy Chooks]

It took a week or 2 of me putting them in every night before they got the idea. Now they are 7 weeks (and some are 5 weeks) old and they go inside on their own.

 

[thechickenchick]

Same here. It took mine a few nights of me shooing them in. Then once they started going in at night on their own I had to teach them to roost. That took about a week or so of going in and placing them on the roost. Good luck

 

[txmel]

same deal with me only mine seemed to take longer than 2 weeks and when they finally started to go in they didn't all catch on at once. i had 2 that would go in and the rest huddled at the door. but now finally they all go in at night on their own. makes the night time ritual of closing them in a lot faster

 

[Backyard_Chicken_rancher]

they are only a week old so they are not ready to be in a run yet that is why they hussled in the corner they should not even be out of the coop in the yard yet so for the next 6-8 weeks you will need to put them to bed yourself.

 

[thechickenchick]

Quote:
Whoops! Good catch! I read it 7 weeks old

Which is still a little early in this part of the country.

Edited because I obviously have not had enough coffee yet

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
Whoops! Good catch! I read it 7 weeks old

Which is still a little early in this part of the country.

Edited because I obviously have not had enough coffee yet

I read it the same. (smacks head smiley inserted here)

 

[dta115]

Hi! I'm new to the group, but I wanted to chime in!

My chicks are about 9 weeks and they did the same thing when I first put them in the coop.
What I did was put a brooder light in the coop and turned it on about 1/2 hour before dark . I had to chase them in for 2 days, then they started going in on their own. Then, for another 3 days, I turned on the light before dark and turned it off after they got in the coop. After they got used to that, I stopped turning on the light and now they go in on their own.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Mine started spending the night in their on Saturday, and I've had to put them in every night as well. Tonight I didn't get home until 8 pm and they are just standing around waiting for mother hen to tell them what to do! Nothin' like chicken wranglin' in your office clothes! It's been fairly warm here the past few nights so I tried just faking them out with a low wattage red bulb. It may have calmed them as they were NOT happy the first night. Now the weather forecast is for the mid to low 40s for the rest of the week. Arrgghh. Guess it's back to the heat lamp again. (These low temps are not making my tomato plants happy either

)

 

[Little Chicken's Nana.]

I'am new at this, never had chickens before. There now eight weeks old, and are in the coop, the first of the week was there first day out in the run, they loved it. My grandson and I opened the door and watched as they went out one by one, til the last few would'nt go out, we had to help them. Now they all go out, but in the evening they will not go back in, I have had to put them back in everynight, my husband said to leave them alone and they will go in on there own, well last night in the rain, I was out there in the dark putting them back in the coop, I'am praying that they will go back in own there own. Sharon in Alabama.