Training chickens to go in at night...

[Buffheads]

I have had a similar issue and I am also a new chicken owner. They are 9 weeks old and 6 days ago I started letting them free range all day, as opposed to just when I was out to watch over them. My girls know where their home is, but at dusk since full free ranging I am finding them ON TOP of their coop (a small one) instead of IN their coop. I gather them up and stick them in the coop, and even with the door open they stay in once in. But they are not going in on their own. Someone mentioned waiting till dark. I use an automatic chicken coop door, so I need them to be in before it is completely dark, or they will be shut out. I thought that chickens went "home" at dusk. I am not sure what to do. I had a heat lamp on at first, so the light to show them home was not a help. They also are not excited about any treats yet. Anyone else had the freedom of free range change their chickens' bedding behavior?

 

[appps]

Go to your local dollar store and grab a couple cheap solar lights. Let them charge during the day then about an hour before dusk put them in the coop. Once it gets dark they will follow the light. After a week - 10 days they will go in without the light.

Worked for me with two different batches of new chickens. The good thing with solar they run out and turn themselves off during the night and no need for power.

Oh and per above heat lamp light not working they are designed not to keep birds up at night so maybe they don't see the red light (if that's what you had) in the same way as white light.

 

[sjturner79]

I have had a similar issue and I am also a new chicken owner. They are 9 weeks old and 6 days ago I started letting them free range all day, as opposed to just when I was out to watch over them. My girls know where their home is, but at dusk since full free ranging I am finding them ON TOP of their coop (a small one) instead of IN their coop. I gather them up and stick them in the coop, and even with the door open they stay in once in. But they are not going in on their own. Someone mentioned waiting till dark. I use an automatic chicken coop door, so I need them to be in before it is completely dark, or they will be shut out. I thought that chickens went "home" at dusk. I am not sure what to do. I had a heat lamp on at first, so the light to show them home was not a help. They also are not excited about any treats yet. Anyone else had the freedom of free range change their chickens' bedding behavior? 

If they are roosting on top of the coop it is too small for them to be happy with. Put it up on something so they can't get on top or build a bigger (higher) coop

 

[grnmustang95]

What worked best for my white rocks was the heat lamp (same red bulb one from when thwre where chicks) i hung it in there coop the first night i had to put them in the coop but after that there so uset to using the light for heat and i would turn it on at night for them and like i said after the 2nd night they got on schedule

 

[ADozenGirlz]

I just put a low voltage light in my brooder coop because I've been doing the same thing Mandi. 6 EE's and only two of them have figured out how to go inside. They wouldn't go up the walk board and would pile up in a corner of the run. Tonight was the first night with the light so we'll see how it goes tomorrow.

The low voltage light system I put in when I replaced my house walk lights so the chickens got the old system. Pretty nice to have walk lights going to the coop.

It's not advisable to keep a light on inside the coop all night because it can cause pullets to come into production earlier than their bodies are ready, causing reproductive problems later in life and stress-induced behavioral problems.

 

[kristaschics15]

I too was lucky and it only took 2 nights. Went to check on them last night and all 5 chilling out on their perch. Fussed when I put a light to look lol.

 

[ADozenGirlz]

I have had a similar issue and I am also a new chicken owner. They are 9 weeks old and 6 days ago I started letting them free range all day, as opposed to just when I was out to watch over them. My girls know where their home is, but at dusk since full free ranging I am finding them ON TOP of their coop (a small one) instead of IN their coop. I gather them up and stick them in the coop, and even with the door open they stay in once in. But they are not going in on their own. Someone mentioned waiting till dark. I use an automatic chicken coop door, so I need them to be in before it is completely dark, or they will be shut out. I thought that chickens went "home" at dusk. I am not sure what to do. I had a heat lamp on at first, so the light to show them home was not a help. They also are not excited about any treats yet. Anyone else had the freedom of free range change their chickens' bedding behavior?

Moving from one housing arrangement to another (brooder to coop, for instance) is extremely stressful to chickens. They need to learn that the coop is their new home where it is safe to roost at night. The way to do that is to keep their environment the same for a week or more, which means keeping them confined to the coop until they are comfortable with the idea. This "Coop Training," as I call it, is only advisable when temperatures inside the coop are lower than 70°F.

Keeping a light on inside the coop all night regularly can cause serious, even life-threatening, reproductive problems later in life as well as behavioral problems from the stress of being stimulated by light 24 hours//day.

 

[cgober]

Mine just learned on their own. When it starts to get dark I just go shut the door. Getting them in the enclosure during the day requires food.

 

[chicchic25]

Chicchick, Why do your chickens have to wait until you open the door? They should be able to go in anytime they want,,,, to lay, to hide, to catch up on a good book.

Hi Cam14117, At the time I thought I was supposed to keep them out of the coop as much as possible through the day so they'd go in at night without any reservations. However, my common sense finally prevailed and I'll chalk it off to another blonde moment! LOL. Our girls have total access to the coop all day long now and for the most part go in by themselves at night. Then they get locked up tight til morning.

Thanks for asking this question and PLEASE feel free to keep me going on the right track, we are definitely learning as we go. Best of luck to you.

 

[B-Goock]

Thank you for the information but it's on a timer. Comes on before dark and shuts off just after dark. I do have it come on in the morning about when it starts getting light outside.

btw I've used your website many times for great information. It's much appreciated.


On another note this week the transformer pooped out on me but the birds have gotten used to going up before dark. Worked long enough to get them going into the scary dark coop. lol Kind of expected since it was probably ten years old. At least I got some more use out of it before it went kaput.