Training chicks to go inside at night

[RaptorMom]

I have my 7 week old chicks in a mini coop outside. They come down to eat as soon as I open the door in the mornings but haven’t figured out they need to go in at night. They just sit on the ground until I manually place them inside every night (for the past two weeks). I have seen them go up the ramp during the day so it is not a question of ability.
How do I get across to them they need to go to bed on their own?

 

[azygous]

It's the twilight reducing their ability to see what's in the coop. Chicks are cautious critters. They know they're prey, just as human kids "know" there's a boogie-man in the closet that will eat them if you don't make sure the door is shut tight, and put on a night light so they can periodically inspect the room to be sure the monsters haven't escaped from the closet.

Well, you get the idea. Install a night light in the coop and give them a little nudge up the ramp. In a few nights, they will have gotten used to the coop in dim light and you may be able to remove the light.

 

[misssassyandthechicks]

It's the twilight reducing their ability to see what's in the coop. Chicks are cautious critters. They know they're prey, just as human kids "know" there's a boogie-man in the closet that will eat them if you don't make sure the door is shut tight, and put on a night light so they can periodically inspect the room to be sure the monsters haven't escaped from the closet.

Well, you get the idea. Install a night light in the coop and give them a little nudge up the ramp. In a few nights, they will have gotten used to the coop in dim light and you may be able to remove the light.

X2. I was going to say install a night light and turn it on when it starts to get dark. That will help your chicks gravitate toward the inside of the coop as dusk nears. You can stop using the light once they get the idea.

 

[RaptorMom]

I would not have thought to try that. Thank you!

 

[Dr.GarryTTucker]

Yes if you have electricity next tot he coop night lights fine if not a battery powered light or solar power light and stick the cell out the coop to recharge batteries. I had some old solar powered ones that would light for an hour or two then burn out. I took them apart and wired the cell outside to charge the batteries. I also kept the chicks inside the coop for a week before letting them out. They got used to it being home

 

[centrarchid]

I have several groups being trained to enter coops at night. Birds with coops on ground present very little trouble. Most of the coops are unfortunately 3 to 4 feet above the ground which requires direct flights by time everything working as desired. Several approaches have been employed. First is providing a series of steps they can fly up which takes a couple to a few nights to master. Until mastered I must physically pick up chicks which is a pain when doing over a hundred like done just over an hour ago. The approach I like best is incrementally moving coop up from ground level each night. Increments I have used ranged from 6 to 12 inches.

Breed and lighting situation impacts things a lot.

 

[WickedChicksNH]

My first two I used to bring them out with me in the screen house, I would stay out there for awhile and work on a puzzle or what have you, i would still be out there when it was dark, they would start to snuggle up to me around twilight, and they would always make it's bed time noise.

I then took my very large dog crate I had and made it into a temp coop and kept it in the garage, put then water and such in it would show them where it was at they learned that pretty quick, but I didn't keep them in there overnight until they got a little bigger, by then they were used to that crate and would go in their own their own, after a week or so in the crate we moved them to their new coop showed them that is where their water and stuff now is, I did have to however show them they could walk up into the nesting area, I noticed for the first few days it was like they didn't even know it existed.

My second two was a little different, after I go them introduced to my two other chickens after a couple weeks, it was easy just to put them in the same coop and they showed them the way.

 

[Crow-ded house]

Momma, aunt and daddy all were homed in their new coop when the babies were first born. We just fed and watered everyone inside and did not let them outside for a week. When we opened the coop door, they all mastered the ramp first day. At night they all went in. Then after the babies turned 3 weeks old, daddy and mama started roosting outside. Next night aunt slept out. Two nights later everyone was sleeping out. I checked the coop and saw no issues. The mom and aunt would go in to lay eggs. I wondered that since we are heading into summer that they just want to roost outside. Their run is covered so no worries. But tonight just before bedtime, I stood by the door and when one would get ready to go to a roost I would herd them inside. Lol what a ruckus!! But then they all started nighttime chirps then all was quiet. I want them inside as they even stayed out during two bad storms. I plan on being out their next couple nights and hope they get the idea. After everyone was quiet they got their goodnight song then I left them in peace.

 

[dunnmom]

I trained mine with treats.