Will I have to retrain my chicks?

[sawyerashton]

My chicks are going to be 6 weeks old on Tuesday. They've been outside since 4.5 weeks. I had to train them to go into their coop at night. I had been leaving a night light on. That didn't seem to be keeping them in, so I locked them in the coop for a few days.......then the weather came.

We got torrential downpours for a few days so I left them locked in the coop. On the second morning of rain, a tornado took the coop and threw it about 25 feet into a fence. I found all 4 chicks and kept them in the house for a few days until I could rebuild their roof and run. They went back outside today.

My question is, will I need to start all over again teaching them to go into the coop? They were starting to do really well until the weather hit.

My other question is, do they have memories to know what happened to them last time they were in the coop?

I guess I'll find out come dusk. Any insight would be appreciated though.

 

[centrarchid]

Chicken memories with respect to locations appear short-term only. It take only 3 or 4 days for birds to forget but they be able to relearn a location faster with prior experience.

 

[sawyerashton]

Well, I had to put them in the coop tonight. I just went check on them and they are all huddled together in the corner behind the feeder. Why do they huddle next to the feeder? They did this when they were in the house the past few days too.

At least they aren't roosting on the threshold of the coop door anymore.

 

[centrarchid]

Well, I had to put them in the coop tonight. I just went check on them and they are all huddled together in the corner behind the feeder. Why do they huddle next to the feeder? They did this when they were in the house the past few days too.

At least they aren't roosting on the threshold of the coop door anymore.

They are likely imprinted on the feeder as a roost site. I take advantage of that tendency with chicks and juveniles by imprinting them on box tipped on its side. They will roost in it regardless of where I move box to so long as it is accessible when they feel need to roost. They may need to be confined near box for a couple days to be imprinted on location of box as well which is your situation now.