They won't go in the coop at night-help!

[*GEL*]

The best way to a chickens heart is through it's stomach.

Ain't THAT the truth!!

I've only had mine going on 3 weeks and they already come running when they see me coming. They are over a year old and were scared to death of me when I first brought them home. Amazing what some plain yogurt, stale bread and baby spinach will do.....now they love me...

 

[MD Chicken chic]

Ok, here's the verdict. I locked them in the coop for 3 days and 3 nights. I let them out this morning, and boy were they glad to be out...running and flying around. I also put up some wire around the corner of the run where they used to sleep before, kind of blocking off that corner. So, as the sun started to set, they started to congregate around that wire that was blocking off their favorite corner. They did seem a little confused, going in and out of the coop and then going to the corner. But, they eventually settled down up against the wire that is blocking off the corner! I even went out and gave them treats and put treats in the coop and on the ramp. They came and ate the treats but wouldn't stay in the coop. They just went back to their corner of the run. So, I gathered them up and put them in and locked them in. I'm so frustrated!!!

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
I understand your frustration. My chooks lived on the screened porch for the first five months of their lives. They were so imprinted on that porch it took a full two weeks of locking them in the coop before they got it.
Try locking them in one more day and then let them out only an hour or two before sunset. Good luck!

 

[kingmt]

Quote:
I understand your frustration. My chooks lived on the screened porch for the first five months of their lives. They were so imprinted on that porch it took a full two weeks of locking them in the coop before they got it.
Try locking them in one more day and then let them out only an hour or two before sunset. Good luck!

I agree. Keep trying. They will learn where they need to go.

I'm trying to teach my chicks & ducklings to come out of the day time but I guess they feel safe in there.

 

[mmtillman]

I am on week 2 of ''training'' my chickens to go IN at night..they too would rather puff up on the ground in a corner and seem perfectly content to do so....while I am fretting my head off !

I want my chickens to act like normal chickens and use the cool roost we made for them. So each night I go out and like you...gather them up

and set each one up on the roost....
I am happy to report that it is working!!

They are starting to go in at night on their own and now more of them....
( more then half of my 25 babies at 5 weeks)
....are roosting then sitting on the ground in the corner of the coop to sleep. So keep on doing what you are doing and soon they will all catch on!

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

Quote:
Hey - Had another thought. How high is your roosts? My silkies do roost, but their roost is only about 18 inches off the ground. Maybe your Silkies are confusing things. I say that because the hatch mates of the Welsummer and Barred Rock, you got from me, all sleep on the edge of wagan (their choice of roost) in the barn and they did that on their own.

Don't give up!!! You will win this minor disagreement with your chickens...

 

[foweler]

The light works great for me. If I forget to plug it in at sundown they come to the back door and knock on the glass. I let them in and we have a chicken party (my wife barley tolerates that) until the pooping starts and then I plug in their light and kick them out. They go to the light. Once they are settled on their roost I unplug the light. They didn't like the dark at first but they got used to it.

I don't know how far your coop is from the nearest source of electricity but if possible, I would run extension cords out there and use a low watt bulb to attract them in at least until they get the idea. Or maybe a battery powered tap light or something. It would be easier than crawling through the poop every night to put them in.

I would run permanent power out there myself as I hear it gets cold up there in the winter and I would probably give them the 100W ceramic reptile heater lamp in the winter.

 

[MD Chicken chic]

Foweler, you crack me up..."we have a chicken party until the pooping starts." I have a feeling that my hubby can relate to your wife with regard to the chickens! Yeah, that was my next thing to try...the light. Hubby is not happy about running extension cords from the house, but I think he's warming to the idea now that he has to help me round them up. I have one of those work lights on the big orange extension cord. Maybe I'll try that tonight.

ThreeBoys, my roosts are about 18 inches off the bottom of the coop. I've got to take pics of this thing to post here so you all can see what I'm talking about. After I stuffed them all in the coop last night, I went out to check on them, and low and behold, the Barred Rock was roosting on one of the roosts. The others were all piled on the floor in a ball. Maybe the Silkies are screwing it up. This ought to be really fun if I have to not only crawl through the poop to gather them up, but I also need to somehow put them on their roosts! Aren't chickens supposed to know how to do this stuff?

I also put the two Ameraucanas I got from you out yesterday afternoon since it finally stopped raining. There was a little minor pecking and chasing until the "pecking order" was established, and then everything seemed fine. I waited until the older girls were settled down in the coop and it was dark and then I put the younger ones in. The younger ones joined the pile on the floor, and everyone was happy, so that's one good thing.

I'm just wondering if they don't like their coop. I do want to put up a new one that has a people door so I can actually go in to clean it out, but I have to convince hubby first.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will try the light tonight and post tomorrow. I was so frustrated with them last night that I told them if they didn't learn how to go in where they were supposed to be at night, they were going to go in my freezer because they are approaching that age where they would be nice and tender!!! But, they already have names....doh!

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

Quote:
Please you could not eat them....

That is strange, those Ameracaunas have been roosting on the roost in the brooder for weeks. I guess they like the company!

 

[SevenWinds]

Target sells solar power cones. They were 2 for $14. They are maybe 6 inches tall and look almost like "old school room" deodorizers.

What if you put these near your windows in your coop to collect solar energy in the day and light up the coop at night? It is a very soft light and you could probably devise something to put on the plastic to tint it too? Just an idea...