Training them to roost

[montanachick]

I have a couple questions. I just moved our small flock (four red stars) outside to their coop a few days ago.
Where is the best place to hang their feeder and waterer, inside the actual coop or outside in the run? I've read differing opinions of this.
Also, how do I get them to go back in the coop at night when it gets chilly? If I leave their food and water outside they seem to just stay out there and huddle up in the evening when it gets cold. If I leave the food and water inside the coop they don't seem to come outside during the day.
Do I need to just be patient and let them "get it" or should I be doing something more proactive?
I feel like where their food and water is left is important but not sure which way to go.

Thanks for the help!

KL

 

[Uppity Peon]

I can't answer the question, as I have the same problem. Tonight is their 5th night out and they are about 1 moth old. I have been moving their food and water in at night and out during the day. The first couple nights I came out while it was still light with my son and we caught them all and locked them up inside with their food. But then I found that if I wait they are much easier to catch. I just know they will learn to go in at night but how long will it take?

My wife thinks I'm too obsessive and that I should just let them sleep outside if they want. But It's just chicken wire between them and whatever might be roaming in the night. I can't stand the thought of them being massacred.

 

[Eggie and Me]

We just put our 4 Rhode Island Reds and 3 Barred Rocks outside this past week. They are just a few days short of 6 wks. It only took 2 nights of rounding them up and they've been doing it on their own since. We put their chick starter food and water in their coop around 5:30 p.m. We also take it out of the coop each morning. Fortunately I'm home during the day and give them a couple treats, breakfast lunch and dinner. Dinner is usually around 5:45 to 7:00 depending. They eat scratch around for a while and go to bed happily. We also still have their heat light on. Not sure they need it? Good luck. Would love to hear how you do...

 

[montanachick]

Our Red Stars are about 6 weeks old and fully fledged. We reduced their heat while they were still inside and they seem to be fine without extra heat as long as we shoo them into the coop at night.

The second night they were out we decided to wait a while and see if they would figure it out. It got pretty chilly (we live in Montana) so we went out with a flashlight well after dark. They were all huddled up underneath the coop and looked pretty miserable so we put them in.

I'd rather not have to continue to move their food and water in at night and out during the day as it's kind if a pain. I think we'll probably just leave it inside the coop and continue putting them in manually at night hoping they'll figure it out eventually.

They did come outside this morning when I called them so hopefully they won't just stay inside all day if their food and water are in there....we'll see.

I think we may also get a small light (like a battery powered "Tap Light") to put in the coop in the evening to see if that may draw them in...

 

[patandchickens]

You need to manually put them onto the roost at night. (It's easier if you wait til they have started to settle down at dusk, so you don't have to chase them all around

). And then close the door so they are locked in the coop.

Some of them will 'get it' after just one night, otehrs take a few days or even a week plus for the really stupid/muleheaded ones, but they will all eventually decide that where they wake up is where they gotta go put themselves to bed, and they'll take care of it themselves from then on.

(This assumes a pleasant coop, i.e. neither too hot nor too stinky, with enough light to let them see to get up onto the roost. Remember chickens have terrible night vision, so if the coop is poorly windowed it may be pitch-black by the time they think of going to bed and so they may not be *able* to put themselves to roost under that condition)

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[joebryant]

I keep my food and water inside 24/7. If my chickens want to go out into the run, which they do right after I lift the pop doors at 10 A.M., they may. Also, when I open the run gates so that they may free range, they leave the run. They go back to the coop during the day to lay eggs, get feed and water, and go right back outside on their own.

I don't want to attract other animals to their food and water by leaving it outside in the run or yard; it belongs inside where it's safe.

 

[Crazy4cochins]

I am training my newest additions to the roosts,I had pipes in the baby cage that I put in the big coop so they'd get the feel for it. Last night I waited for all the older ones to get settled then i had to catch and place the babys on the roosts. argggg, I still had a few that wanted to huddle on the floor together.
Tonight should be better I hope. I was thinking mixing them all together in the open area would be like a bloody battle. But they did great
I have a waterer outside and inside,hanging the feeder from the ceiling is going to be my newest way since all my walls are now covered in roosts.I did use a wall mounted swing arm you know for like hanging plants for the round food container,that way it turns so the feed keeps getting moved down.
Good luck

 

[montanachick]

Thank you for the latest posts. This is shedding a lot of 'light' on the situation. The indoor portion of our coop is made completely out of plywood so it is very dark in the coop even in the middle of the day. It sounds like maybe this is making it challenging for the hens to find their food and water on their own and also making it highly unlikely they will be drawn to go in the coop once it begins to get dark outside. We are going to try to add some light to the inside of the coop for both during the day and to drawn them in at night. We are also going to try adding some additional roosts. Is it really important that they sleep on a roost or is huddled up together, just as good?
Sounds like it just takes a while to get them into a routine. we will be patient.

Appreciate all the ideas! thanks.

 

[pascopol]

Quote:
I give mine a low roost 4 to 6 inches off ground when they are 3 to 4 weeks old and still in a brooder, natural instinct kicks in, then the will like higher and higher roost very soon.

 

[Crazy4cochins]

the light is a good idea,
I don't think them huddled on the floor is soo bad,but I think if you can put a few on the roosts the others will see them and then want to get up there too. It will take some time but I have a few that are the smarter ones and when they figure things out the slower ones tend to follow soon after.