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

[packmomma]

WEll if you have retarded chickens then so do I!! I just posted this same question in the raising chicks. MIne are two days shy of 6 weeks old. I have had them in part of the coop for at least a week. They stay outside and sleep out there under the ramp. Each night I have to herd them in..from what people are posting maybe I"m just not waiting long enough. I will wait till pitch dark to check on them. I have a red light and have them in the same box..I just cut a hole and shoved it in the coop next to the coop door..I thought this would be a nicer transition..you know one new thing at a time. They come in all day in and out eating and drinking but at night they just all huddle together. Each night I go out at dusk and herd them inside and close them in. I just dont understand why they dont go in! I thought they auto roosted inside?? I will keep herding them in till they get it. The run is getting a little too poopy to keep it up. I might try the food thing..lol.

 

[MD Chicken chic]

I guess, just keep putting them in the coop. I wait until it's fairly dark out cause they are a little calmer then and I can only carry two at a time, one under each arm, and when they are calmer they tend to settle down in the coop faster and I don't have them running out of the coop while I am trying to catch the others. That's probably quite a bit of entertainment for the neighbors...watching me run around stooped over, crawling through chicken poop trying to catch these chickens while the ones I've already put in the coop are running out of it! Have you tried locking yours in for a few days and nights? I may do this again for another 3 nights. I am going to run an extension cord out tonight and hang one of those shop lights out there to see if that helps at all tonight. Good luck! At least you have someone to commiserate with!

 

[packmomma]

Yeah I tried the locking them in thing.. I hate leaving them in on nice days....I will sacrifice and keep shoooing them in. I"m going to try the treat thing at night..maybe a little oatmeal or something. I'm sure they will get it eventually. I really should finish the inside..its been so nice I"ve been doing my garden. We will see how it goes tonight. I will wait till its really dark and leave that light on...hope it works.

 

[MD Chicken chic]

Crossing my fingers for you! I'm gonna try the same thing.

 

[chickenladyk]

You MUST provide good ventilation before you confine them in the coop. Poor ventilation is a major cause of illness and eventual death. Drill some big holes (like with a doorknob-hole saw), secure 1/4" hardware cloth over BOTH sides to prevent predation. Drafts are NOT the problem--excessive moisture and dust in their air due to lack of ventilation are the true cause of problems.

Once you have provided for good ventilation, I agree that locking them in the coop for a couple of days should do the trick.

 

[MD Chicken chic]

The light worked! I'm just so excited! I strung extension cords out to the coop and hung our work light out there. They started to congregate in their little corner but acted a little confused and went back and forth between the coop and the corner for some time. The sun has set now, and I am so excited to say that all of my chickens are in the coop, of their own accord! I guess now, we have to run electricity out there. Hubby ought to love that!

And, Ed, it was the Silkies who were stubborn and wanted to sit in the corner. They were the last ones in. So, now I can say that I do not have retarded chickens!

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

I knew they were not retarded. So awesome. You should be very happy! Once they were in, did you turn the light off? You may not need to keep the light out there forever. Maybe in a couple of weeks, you can try not using the light.

Oh and you should be OK with running cord through the yard. I run a cord to power my water heaters for the horses in the winter. Never had a problem. Just make sure you use cords that are approved for outside.

 

[tdgill]

or even a battery powered touch light - tap on tap off.

 

[WiseChicks]

MD Chicken Chic -

I have a heavy duty outdoor extension cord that I run from the laundryroom to the coop. I have one of the metal 'heat lamp' lights in there with a red 40 watt "party" bulb. Works like a charm, and little chance of overheating.

K

p.s. Where in MD are you?

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Yeah, you can buy a lot of those before you've spent the money on wire and conduit and such to run power out there. Maybe for your new coop.... We put power in mostly for a summer fan; only had to run it maybe 40', from a shop.

I go out around 7 PM and turn on a plain old 60W bulb in the coop. At dark they have all come in. I shut the door and turn off the light. Never once had a problem getting them inside at night. I'm sure one of those tap lights would work just as well; it's more light than there is outside at that point.