when to put chicks in the coop

[Dgrundy14]

I had to grab mine and put them in the coop tonight because I was worried about bad weather. They did real good this afternoon because I offered them some spinach which they love, and they came right back up into the coop but tonight maybe they were worried about the weather.

 

[Dgrundy14]

Here is a picture of the girls on their first visit under the coop.

 

[Auntie Moose]

I had to grab mine and put them in the coop tonight because I was worried about bad weather. They did real good this afternoon because I offered them some spinach which they love, and they came right back up into the coop but tonight maybe they were worried about the weather.

Mine don't have a door to keep them "upstairs" and right now, at dusk, they are still down under the coop. I'll check at dark to see if they went to bed.

 

[Auntie Moose]

I am frustrated with my girls. They seem to figure out how to go down under the coop during the day, where it is cooler, but they won't go back up at night. Even if we wait until it is very dark, we will find them huddled in a corner, still outside. They do not follow treats or a light. We have to physically pick them up and put them into the coop. Part of the problem has been since we put them in the coop three days ago, it has been horribly hot and we have not been able to confine them to the coop. This week doesn't look any better, weather wise. Any tips or advise?

 

[Christabean]

From the picture it looks like the rungs on the ramp are pretty far apart. Maybe try adding some additional ones inbetween to make it easier for them to climb up. I have a similar model coop and my chicks were able to easily navigate the ladder by about 6 weeks. I didn't have an issue getting them to put themselves to bed, but I think you said they're not closed in at night? I would rig a piece of cardboard or chicken wire at night to keep them in until it's their routine. I closed mine in for the first week and can now leave their door open at night and they know to roost. And if it helps for later, I found that leaving them in the coop for a week made it "home" enough that now I can let them out into a larger pen and they return to the coop at night.

 

[JaysGirl]

I brood mine outside from the start.  They thrive on some cooling, rather than having a hothouse environment, so if you can provide them a space well away from the heat lamp to frolic and play, they'll be so much the better.  Here in Northern Wyoming our temps are getting up into the 60s during the day and still in the 40s at night, but my Littles are fine with that - I've brooded with temps in the teens and twenties with a snowstorm or two tossed in just to keep things interesting.  I don't use heat lamps...those things scare the pee-wadding outta me, and they heat everything - the air, the walls, the floor, the bedding, the water, the food - when all that's really necessary is a spot for chicks to go warm up, just like they would under a broody hen!  So I form a "cave" out of scrap fencing, put a heating pad over it, then a towel and layers of straw.  They love it!

I'm assuming by now you've put them out and they are doing well.  I wish I'd seen your question when you first posted it so I could be more helpful.

I thought all heating pads now a days had an auto off function? If yours doesn't, where did you get it? I live in n.c. And i am contemplating putting my chicks in the coop next week at 3 weeks. Our temps in the day have been in upper 90s and at night in the 70s. Do you think they would still need a heat source under those conditions? To be honest, I'm scared to death that the heat is going to be too much for them but I've heard they also shouldn't get chilled. So I'm just confused

 

[Dgrundy14]

[COLOR=000080]I am frustrated with my girls. They seem to figure out how to go down under the coop during the day, where it is cooler, but they won't go back up at night. Even if we wait until it is very dark, we will find them huddled in a corner, still outside. They do not follow treats or a light. We have to physically pick them up and put them into the coop. Part of the problem has been since we put them in the coop three days ago, it has been horribly hot and we have not been able to confine them to the coop. This week doesn't look any better, weather wise.  Any tips or advise? [/COLOR]:/

I keep their food up in the coop so mine go back and forth. Just have water in the run under the coop. I do close mine in at night so they think that the coop is their safe place. Good luck!

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I thought all heating pads now a days had an auto off function? If yours doesn't, where did you get it? I live in n.c. And i am contemplating putting my chicks in the coop next week at 3 weeks. Our temps in the day have been in upper 90s and at night in the 70s. Do you think they would still need a heat source under those conditions? To be honest, I'm scared to death that the heat is going to be too much for them but I've heard they also shouldn't get chilled. So I'm just confused

I use the same method. The heating pads I use are about $13 for a 12x15. They're by Sunbeam. I got mine at Walmart. They have them other places like drugstores but Walmart was cheapest. There heat settings and no auto off. I have mine on low now. It's got as all heck but they still like to snuggle up to it. I have keets ands chicks ranging in age from one week to one month in my brooder. I need to get those month olds out of there but the younger ones freak out if they can't find them lol.
I keep mine in the house for a couple days for observation then they go outside.

 

[Auntie Moose]

From the picture it looks like the rungs on the ramp are pretty far apart. Maybe try adding some additional ones inbetween to make it easier for them to climb up. I have a similar model coop and my chicks were able to easily navigate the ladder by about 6 weeks. I didn't have an issue getting them to put themselves to bed, but I think you said they're not closed in at night? I would rig a piece of cardboard or chicken wire at night to keep them in until it's their routine. I closed mine in for the first week and can now leave their door open at night and they know to roost. And if it helps for later, I found that leaving them in the coop for a week made it "home" enough that now I can let them out into a larger pen and they return to the coop at night.

I assume this comment is for me? I don't think I have a picture of their coop from a close angle. The ramp to my coop doesn't have any rungs, so maybe I will put some on. However, they go up and down during the day, so I'm not sure the ramp is the problem. Once they are in at night, they don't go back down. And as I said, it has been way too hot here during the day to leave them in the coop without access to the outside. I wanted to keep them "cooped up" for a few days, but the first day I found them panting and lying on the floor of the coop, under the roosting bars. That scared me. So my husband and I literally put them on the ramp morning and night to try to show them what they are supposed to do.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

With the latest batch I got, I had to pick them up and put them in the coop every night. It took probably a week and a half of frustration before they were going in on their own. They were six weeks old when I got them and the breeder had coops similar to quail houses for all his chicks so I figured that was part of it (not used to going up a ramp into a coop and then perching).