TRAINING CHICKENS TO GO ROOST AT NIGHT ????

[bwalden]

Food, Glorious Food! Oh how they adore it!
Sorry, I couldn't help myself - LOL! Seriously, I was having the same problem with my 10 week olds that had just moved into their very spacious and beautiful coop - only they didn't go in at night. An older friend told me to condition them to a call like 'hey, chick, chick, chick" while rattling a can with scratch. And I knew they loved scrambled eggs (kind of cannibalistic but what can you do...) so I started calling them and placing pieces of egg on the ladder into the coop. Then, because the coop is large, I got inside and enticed them in with scrambled egg from the inside. It took two nights and had a few "outliers" that had to be picked up and put in but now - a week later - they come running when I call regardless of where they are. I also think putting them to bed too early is also a problem as they aren't really ready to settle down. So now I go out at dusk, call them into the coop and give them a treat. Works like a charm.

Thanks, I will give this a try. I have been going out just after dark to make sure they are all up. Most of them will go in but I have between 6 and 10 that just can't seem to get the picture. So I have to pick them up and set them on the ramp, in which they will scurry right on in. They just dont seem to get the notion of the ramp being a means into the coop. I think I might make my ramp wider because I have noticed that sometimes there are traffic jams on the ramp. One will stop half way up or at the top and then the pile up begins. This mostly occurs when they are going out of a morning. Just a few that like to stop and smell the roses if you will. Lol

 

[framer]

the only time i have light on is early morning to stimulate egg laying ( on at 3 am till sun rise ) till the days get longer, I put each of my young birds on the roost by hand for the first three days right at sun down ( earyier than the full grown birds ) the fourth day they knew what to do on there own

 

[bwalden]

Funny thing, night before last....... I turned out the light and put all 19 of them up on the roost by hand. Next morning I turned on the light before I went to work and opened the pop door. Later that same night about dark I went to check on them and see if they were going in the coop. To my suprise all but 4 were in the coop and they were all up on the roost. The 4 that were outside wondering around were looking up like they were trying to fly up on the roost so I helped them find the ramp and they went on in and to my amazement they flew up on the roost bar. I am really suprised they remembered after just one night of setting them up on the roost bars. I guess they must have liked it.

 

[ECBW]

Are your birds silkies?

If you have regular chickens, roosting at high place is their natural tendency, like the pope is catholic. There is really no need to train, just provide a proper environment.

I started with 6" high perch and raised it as the birds can reach higher. My chicks are about 6 weeks, they can get up to 12" and trying to reach next perch at 18".

 

[smilot]

How important is it for them to roost at night? I have them in a fairly large pen (10' by 15') that's very secure from top to bottom, all of their coops/sleeping quarters are inside of that. The bigger ones roost in a bigger chicken coop. That took a little training but after locking them in night after night they got the hint. I even had to teach them to perch. The smaller are in a coop I made that's slightly more secure with a door so that the bigger ones didn't pick on the smaller ones. So I had been locking the littler in every night. They seemed to be ok with roosting at night finally and even in the bigger coop. Recently I introduced two newbies a lovely pair of Amraucana's about the same age as the littler ones I all ready had. They all roosted the first few night with a little help. Then one of my previous littler ones turned out to be a roo. Now he wants to roost on the top of the coop and all the little ones followed. I have put them in the coop several times locking them in, if I don't they roost on the top coop. When I do go put them in the coop after they fall asleep on top they are none to happy to be touched. I would lock them in for several days if I could but its way too hot here in Tampa to do that I fear.

 

[bwalden]

My chickens are Welsummers. They are doing much better now. I went out lastnight to check on them and they were all inside the coop. Only 4 were not up on a roost bar so I put them up on it. It would not be 100% necessary for them to be up on a roost bar but it's my preference. My run is not covered and we have hawks, owls, raccoons, skunks, possums in my area. Those are just the nocturnal animals. So I much prefer them to be put up at night. Plus I had 10 Maran chicks inside a coop and they were killed by neighbor dogs in the middle of the night..... So i'm also a little paranoid now about it happening again.

 

[Courts Clucks]

DO NOT LAUGH AT ME! Ok maybe a little. In the morning I put every single girl on the ramp to go out. They figured it out on their own on day three. At night, they were waiting for me to put them back in by hand. My husband had the bright idea that since they follow me around ( I guess i am their weird lookin' momma), I should lead by example. So I squatted down and cheeped and called to them and squeezed my bootie through that little door. They have putting themselves to bed ever since. There was my weird way of doing it. Now you can stop laughing. no. seriously.

 

[Gigiintheforest]

DO NOT LAUGH AT ME! Ok maybe a little. In the morning I put every single girl on the ramp to go out. They figured it out on their own on day three. At night, they were waiting for me to put them back in by hand. My husband had the bright idea that since they follow me around ( I guess i am their weird lookin' momma), I should lead by example. So I squatted down and cheeped and called to them and squeezed my bootie through that little door. They have putting themselves to bed ever since. There was my weird way of doing it. Now you can stop laughing. no. seriously.

So hilarious! I would have loved to see that...Whatever works is my motto!!!

 

[bwalden]

Yeah now that would have been worth seeing! Lol! I havent had to do that yet. Checked on them lastnight, as I got home late (after sunset). All 19 of them were inside the coop. All but the same 4 were on the roost bar so I set those 4 up on the bar. I just know that will get it some day. I have 13 black copper maran eggs in lockdown. Suppose to be hatching tomorrow!

 

[modestmaiden62]

My 8 week old chicks just huddle in a pile on the coop floor. They were locked up in the coop 2 weeks before we let them out about 2 weeks ago. They go out in the morning in a hurry and never go back in the coop till dusk and set looking out the coop door. I have to go out and let the door down slowly and force them to go in. Then I peek in and there they are huddled up in a group. It isn't because they are cold either cause it is in the 80's and 90's here in good old Oklahoma. I picked them up and sat them on the roost in the coop but they jump off as fast as I sat them up there. They finally stayed tonight but I don't know for how long. I know they have been on the roost at one time cause it has poop on it lol.