When will my chicks smarten up? *sigh*

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Kelly G

Kelly G

Crowing
17 Years
Mar 19, 2008
1,996
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Waynesville, North Carolina
My Coop
My Coop
SO! I have 11 chicks that are 7 weeks old...fully feathered & doing great! I'm SO please with them!!

That said...I'm afraid I don't have the brightest chicks in the world-wide coop...

We have had (with more coming) cold weather here in Western North Carolina...it will be in the teens this weekend. Their coop has heating lamps, fresh, clean water, delicious food! - really everything to reinforce that home is where you want to be!!

I even have a light that is on inside the coop & dims starting at 9pm because I know they are attracted to light.

But...every night I have to go and catch them and physically put them into the coop to be able to lock them in safely...they don't go in on their own.

This is SUPER annoying! When will they smarten up and go in on their own??

Photo of just one of the..."special" pullets...

(and if the sarcasm doesn't translate...please know that I absolutely love my chickens....even if they are trying to kill me.

1734739532418.png
 
Also, are they under the coop in that picture? If they are, is there a way to block them off so they don't get under there?

And just to let you know, a heat lamp isn't really necessary. I had five week old chicks out in thirty degree weather in an open air coop (covered in plastic) and they did just fine. Heat lamps are fire hazards!
 
Evadig said:
The sarcasm is clear - they look like very healthy, happy little stinkers :). I call mine all sorts of uncomplimentary names too! How long have they been out there? I generally lock mine in the coop for at least a few days so they learn that's where home is.
Click to expand...

Thank goodness, LOL!

I hatched them on 10/31...and they've been in their "big chicken coop" since they were two weeks old.

Going out into the run started on Tuesday (3 days ago)...and I've had to go and physically put them back into the warm, toasty coop after dark.

When I had chickens before...I don't remember this struggle, LOL!

Their coop is LITERALLY the Taj Mahal of chicken coops!!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Jfj7FjvpnBABiizAA

And....the coop in the warmer days of autumn (of course, now they have secure fencing around the coop).

1734741161037.png
 
First off, yes the heat lamp is a fire hazard and potentially deterring them from going in, as they simply do not need it and may actually prefer the cooler temps and air flow outside.

Is there ventilation that's not shown in your coop photo? They may find it stuffy inside if that window is the only source of air.

If there's a ramp into the coop, is the angle not to sharp on it and does it have traction and have they been trained to go up it (that is, have you seen them using it on their own?)
 
Is the special pullet in the photo, really a pullet?
My incubated chicks literally flew inside their private section of the coop through a window, they never had a ramp available so ramp shouldn't be a problem.
However broody chicks were another thing. When their mothers weaned them, they were so scared that getting them inside the coop was a true shenanigan. Especially since they were feral.
 
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