Young'ns not going into coop

[rosemarythyme]

They have completed 3 days of lockdown, plus about 3 hours. These are the coops - only up on cinder blocks so not high. The dark blue coop DOES have a ramp that isn't pictured, with rungs about every 6 inches.

Prior to lockdown, they would venture up the ramp but not actually enter the coop. No issues with them coming out in a semi orderly fashion once I removed the chicken door barricade.

I'd go for another 2 days maybe, then try letting them out again. Ramp isn't steep so that shouldn't be much of an issue. During the day is it normally lit inside the coops at all, as I don't see any windows.

I'd ask about ventilation too but to be honest I don't know how that's normally handled in arctic type climates.

 

[HoneyBug Homestead]

Yes, lights are on during the day to make it more inviting as the coops are pretty dark. The vent shown in the one is small but has others that can't be seen, as well as in the other light blue one. Ventilation is SUPER important here because humidity will cause frostbite in the cold much moreso than just the cold.

I'm truly at a loss - was going to leave them locked up for a total of 5-7 days and hope that they start going in on their own.

 

[rosemarythyme]

was going to leave them locked up for a total of 5-7 days and hope that they start going in on their own.

It's a good starting point. Let us know how it goes once they get a chance to get back out.

 

[HoneyBug Homestead]

UPDATE: After 5 days of lockdown, the chickens are going into ONE coop at bedtime...they are apparently boycotting the larger, nicer coop. They are also not on roosting bars and staying in a chicken huddle on the floor...but at least they made it inside!

 

[Lillith37]

UPDATE: After 5 days of lockdown, the chickens are going into ONE coop at bedtime...they are apparently boycotting the larger, nicer coop. They are also not on roosting bars and staying in a chicken huddle on the floor...but at least they made it inside!

Progress!

 

[First time Chick mom]

Your chicks, sound so much like mine. So glad you got them in the coop! One step at a time.

 

[Debbie292d]

I am a new proud chicken mama in the frozen north - winter temps drop to a low of around -40F and average around -20 or so. I have 15 chicks currently, waiting to thin out once I find who is a hen vs roo. I have 5 ten weekers and 10 7 weekers.

We have "the compound" for our chickens and have LOTS of predators so are not free ranging. There are 2 heavily insulated coops connected to a 9x18' run. Temperatures are dropping here into the 30s at night already and we will not be heating our coops.

I cannot, for the life of me, get the chicks to go into the coops of their own volition. Rather than roost at any point in the nice, insulated coops they just chicken pile against the side of the run (chain link covered in 1/4" hardware cloth, so they're safe).

Daylight here is dwindling as well, but it still isn't dark before I go to bed and they're fast enough now that I can't catch them all by myself and my husband works a shift opposite of mine. They are currently locked into the coops and have been for several days now but what if they don't start roosting in there by the time I let them back out?

The negative temps without the coop insulation in winter...I don't want the poor things to freeze to death if they aren't willing to go back inside! Will they eventually figure it out on their own once it gets really cold if their time shut in doesn't do the trick? And yes, there are lights inside so that the coops aren't dark and gloomy inside.

We had to do this last year, and pretty soon, we'll have to do it again as winter is coming. It took us four nights to do it. We lock them out of their temp coop on the opposite side of the yard, and put the light on in the coop. Then hubby and I herd them over to the main coop. Last year, they were only four months old (Silkies), so they were smaller and got picked on so of course they didn't want to go in there, but would at night, then first out in the morning. It took 4 nights, and then they'd go in on their own. If you don't have a light on in your coop, you could use a solar light or lantern. This year, these'll be 5-month-olds, so we'll have an easier time. We get smarter as we go lol.

Edit, after typing this, THEN I see you got it done! Congrats!