When do chickens develop their GPS/homing sense?

[Penny spender]

Moved my coop on Sunday. I kept everyone inside until last night after work, with about an hour of daylight left. When I went to shut them in at dark, all the older hens were back in the coop all comfy, but the 4 youngsters (about 3 months old) were hunkered down in the long grass in the old coop location, in the cold damp drizzling rain. Luckily I handle them lots so they were easy to catch and put back into the coop. How come all the older hens (all under a year old), were able to find the new location while the "babies" couldn't? At what age does a chicken's GPS develop?

 

[barred2rock]

I'd try locking them down in the coop for about a week.

 

[chickens really]

Lol...They are young and two sub flocks ...The older ones visually went to the Coop..They young ones went where it should of been...Today they should figure it out...Silly Chickens....

 

[centrarchid]

Older birds may be excluding younger birds even when younger birds know where to go.