Time for Tough Love?

[dftkarin]

I think that chicks are charming and wonderful but not very smart at all - so I keep smaller sized feeders and gallon waterers both inside and outside at all times so they can see its there. Seriously, if they can't see it, they really might not realize its available to them. Some chickens might "learn" - but mine never seem to.

 

[highcountrychickens]

Great advice already here, but we went through this for the first time this year with a new batch of babies.

Here are my two cents: They are creatures of habit when it comes to bedtime... we kept a light on inside the henhouse that we left on for an hour or two after sundown to encourage them to go in. For several weeks after they first went out, we 'bustled' them up the ramp and into the pop door every evening at the same time. They caught on pretty quickly, and the light was no longer necessary. In the summer we leave the food and water outside (unless it's pouring rain, then we put it in with them to save the food) In the winter, we have all of it in with them, because there are a lot of days when they can't go out.

They'll figure it out - sounds like you're doing great!

 

[chicken_china_mom]

I kept mine in their coop for about a week and a half before I let them out. They knew to go back in and get food and water after that time. They are smart enough too to know not to leave my property either. Farthest they go is the trees about 20 feet from the coop, and then they run back whenever they are hungry or thirsty. My feathered kids will be 11 weeks old on Monday. I first moved them out into the coop at about 7 weeks old.