My chickens go into the coop on their own at night. We definitely did not shut them in for 2 weeks. We raised 2 different batches of chicks so far and all of them found it just fine. They don't stray far from home. Our ducks and geese also know where to go but they're stubborn and don't have the same sleep habits as chickens so my husband goes out and just gently walks behind them and they go on in.
Have your husband repeat the same thing every night as he walks them in (gold-Shaw farm yells “all ducks go to bed”) After a short time as soon as he calls out the same mantra they’ll come running in.
We place new chickens into the coop at night in the dark so everyone wakes up in the morning together . The old chickens see the new and think they belong there and Vice versa. The new chickens watch the older chickens get down from the roost and follow. As they flock together the roosters will start getting everyone sorted and he will wrangle them in and out .
That's so smart! My chickens go in and always have since I put them out there, because God made them pretty smart, but I wondered about if I got new chickens.😁
We had a small terrier mix name, Muffy. When we wanted to put the chickens in the coop, we would say, "(Go around Muffy), and he would go out into the corn field and bring them all in and put them in the coop. I'm sure he had some type of herd dog in him, but he looked terrier. He was a wonderful dog. That was over 40 years ago. It's crazy but I still miss that dog.
My dad had a free range chicken farm when I was a child. We went down in the evening and closed their houses. They were already in their houses roosting.
Good for your dad.... I have cut down drastically on meat but even in a sophisticated country like Britain I have a horrible feeling that many farm animals lead dreadful lives and that hurts me. Chickens, far from being "stupid", are the product of hundreds of millions of years of evolution - their ancestors were dinosaurs - and when studied closely, have been proven time and time again to exhibit a whole range of very sophisticated traits - not least of which is organising themselves societally: it's not coincidence that we might describe someone's rank in terms of their position in the "pecking order". Therefore the notion of thousands of birds squashed together in fluorescent lit sheds standing up to their knees in their own guano, with nowhere to nest and nothing for them to forage is bad enough. But they're also so either selectively bred or genetically engineered to be fast growing (the birds for meat, certainly, rather than primarily eggs) that some collapse under their own weight as their juvenile frames aren't strong enough to support their adult bodies. There are supposedly high standards set here even as a minimum but first of all I don't believe they're high enough - no hen should spend its whole life in a cage (never mind in an artificially lit, ammonia reeking, cacophonous crowd) - and it seems inconceivably unlikely that an individual animal receives medical attention in the case of illness or injury. Furthermore, one wonders how rigidly the stricter requirements for the various grades of what might collectively be referred to as "higher welfare" - like organic, free range, corn fed etc - are enforced. Whilst I do feel that on balance of probability, most farmers feel a duty of care for their animals and their wellbeing, inevitably there will be some who (even excluding the ghastly possibility some lack empathy altogether) that might mean others place a lower emphasis on the maintenance of standards. While the government does send out inspectors, there are so few of them that it seems possible that a farm might only get one visit in a generation. I have read that particularly where no issues are highlighted, it is likely to be years - decades in fact - before the next one. An awful lot of suffering can occur within that time. I have seen every single argument there is and, while I hold no particular political views (let alone extreme ones), it is objectively factual that we don't need to eat flesh to survive. That it is easier to ensure we get the right mix of essential amino acids by doing so - not to mention more enjoyable - is unfortunately not the same thing. I admit to my hypocrisy given earlier acknowledging I haven't embraced vegetarianism. But I would rather eat a chicken, ghoulish that it might seem to some - that I know has previously run around pastures, pecking and clucking with its friends and taking dust baths in the sun and having a nice man like your dad being mum to them, popping round to see them every day chatting to them and giving them extra treats and even giving one or two a little cuddle! Providing them a high quality existence prior to dispatch for a dinner table, if not completely exonerating, at least seems to offer something by way of mitigation....
@mrkiplingreallywasanexceed8311 how do you get your chickens to make bat droppings ? I didn't read your entire novel of a response, I kinda couldn't continue after the guano comment. I should build a fire, fix a whiskey and read the rest of it. There may be more guano quality treasures in it
We have a light on a timer in our coup, comes on at dusk and off about an hour later. Chickens go to where the light is, learned this growing up on a chicken farm.
Two weeks is extreme. It only takes two or three days at most. Chickens are smarter than people give them credit for. Most of the time they will just go by themselves, especially if the coop is the only shelter available.
And you should hopefully be letting them out during the daylight hours. Place them in the coop at night. It shouldn’t take more than a couple of days till they do it themselves.
I raised my chickies from 2 days old. I built my coop in my garage before it was moved outside. The babies stayed inside the coop and only came out if it was a nice sunny day. Once moved outside I built an enclosed chicken run. As soon as it starts to get dark my babies jump inside the coop and perch up high where they sleep for the night. Their instinct tells em when to go in for the night.
It took a while when my first batch of chickens were first moved outside. Now, when I move them, all it takes is one night. It's good you're answering people's questions, though.
Im a new chicken owner with teenage chickens… i was surprised to see that as soon as it gets dark… they go in all by themselves… which is just amazing to me…
I thought so too but 3 nights in a row now I’ve had to go put them back in myself. Just moved mine out there, kept them in for two weeks like you said and they just want to sleep outside in their run.
That’s exactly what I do,also we have some old chickens that teach the younger ones where to go so it’s like we don’t even have to show them. When they are old enough and big enough we put them with the older chickens and let them live their lives.
When you lock them up for a few weeks make a certain noise every time you feed them. later you can walk up with a bit of food(or not) and make that noise and they will come running.
I did the same thing except trying to get both my chickens and dad to stop using the tiny brooder cage was both frustrating and hilarious to watch full grown hens stuffing themselves inside the cage they were raised in as hatchling and my dad adamant that it was how he kept them safe.
U may want to add here that if they are going elsewhere to roost there is a problem in the henhouse. Look carefully, there will ve something causing them to be afraid
First time with chickens. When the sun goes down , I have a light(solar) in the coop. The chickens are drawn to the light. The light is on a timer that shuts off in two hours. Perfect system that we just learned on our own.
In Maryland, we put our girls in every evening (no lock in) for about 4 or 5 days. They learned. New hens simply follow the old-timers with on their own.
I move my coop around the yard and discovered the chickens seek the smell of their poop. Took the poop boards out to scrape them off and moved the coop pretty far to new grass. The all huddled around the poop boards. We herded them to the coop where they went in after they got there. Boards make great heading tools. Now I make sure to put a poop board out near the coop if I move it. Seems to do the trick most of the time. No roosters so I get to go herd a stray hen or two from time to time.
I inherited chickens with my house. They are in bed before sunset all on their own. If I come out with snacks after that one brave hen, Neville will come out but then straight back in after he snack. I had no idea they needed to be shown this.
True, but also putting a little scratch grain on the run works to lead them in to where hot mash is waiting. It a few days they'll rush in each afternoon . Or, like we always did with small flocks, let them roost in trees but bring them out of the trees in the morning to the coop with feed. Bears, owls, coyotes, stray dogs and cats, and it was rare to lose any. In coop, they're trapped and know it. And, that's how one sister lost her entire flock, when her son started to get them in at night and something got in and killed all of them.
Chickens are stupid, but not too stupid. They instinctively seek dark places to roost when the sun starts to go down. As long as there isn't anywhere else they can go, they'll go right in, on their own. No probationary period necessary.
My grandparents had a big chicken house, with long wooden poles suspended from the ceiling for them to sit on to sleep. In the early evening,the chickens walked into the chicken house and flew up onto a pole for the night. Then, Grandpa would close and latch the door for the night. In the morning, the rooster would crow, and Grandpa would go out to open the door to let them out to free-range during the day. 🐓🐔
Chickens have a natural instinct to put themselves away at night. The first couple of nights will have some out. My chickens live on 2 acres a e when the sun starts setting their clock goes off and they head back. I recommend giving the a smaller pen while learning but chicks love the sun and dirt baths.
I just put a lil dusk to down solar light in the house…they go right inside without any issue…and then I have an auto door…shuts at night and opens in the morning…I check on them at lest twice a day..I have 8 happy chicks and 8 honors guinies haha
For free range on grass:If you move the coop everyday, move the coop before letting them out and they will go back by themselves. A relative moved it after they were let out and they went back to the area where the coop had been.
Oh and don’t forget to buy a snow shovel to get one foot of poop from that coop. 😂. Nah, favorite treat from roaming into the run and by themselves from the run into the coop. Works every time as natural instinct of preservation. Built a new coop for new batch and never had to teach them where to go night night.
This might be necessary for a new batch of chickens that’s already grown but hasn’t had training, but most chickens when they are small will wake up in the house and just instinctively go back in. As you introduce more chicks they see the older chickens doing this and they learn where they are meant to be. 2 weeks locked up while it’s probably fine it is definitely overkill and probably isn’t the healthiest thing to do to a bunch of chickens
I figured that out on my own through trial and error. Years later chickens are as easy as boiling water. Not that I boil my egg layers. Just an analogy.
I've got a couple of birds that regularly go to bed super early and a few that really push their limits of being able to see before going back in. Though I've noticed if there aren't a lot of comfortable roosting places in the run, they can be let out into the run during their two week training period. Especially if there are other chickens who already know what's up
You don’t need to shut them up for two weeks if they won’t go on the roost. I simply put a light in the coop that came on 10 minutes before dark and went off an hour after dark and after about a week I could remove the light. Small chickens and hens will go to the light
2 weeks that’s rough lol. This last batch, I put all of mine in 1 by 1 the first night, nights 2 and 3 only 1 straggler by night 4 all went in no problems since
Mine went to roost on their own. IF for some reason you need them to go in the coop at anytime during the day. Say you need to expand or fix the wire. A old timer said to put a towel or bag that's shredded on a cain pole and swing it over the coop. The shadow it casts will make them think a Chicken Hawk or other predator is eyeing them and they will all run for cover. Iv never tried it but he swore by it and it does make sense😂
I have 50 free range chickens raised from chicks and 2 big coops when the sun starts getting low they find somewhere to sleep if your coop is adequate they’ll chose it over the dangerous ground. You don’t need to lock them in a box for weeks chickens dont run away like dogs. 😂
We raise a couple flocks and all we do when it's the first night with a new coop is to put them inside a couple minutes before they'd start looking for a place to sleep. Next day they'll go in by themselves.
I’m so surprised by how long some UA-camrs keep the inside. We helped our chickens get in the first night and kept an eye on them the next few days but they went in by themselves. I don’t think chickens like being inside for that long at all, mine go mental if I don’t let them out in the morning.
Gosh golly, 2 weeks seems kinda harsh to me. Our hens love to go into the coop at night because we leave them a warm treat every night. Either some cooked cracked wheat mush or cooked oatmeal or table scraps. They stay warmer while digesting, so we have heard. SE Idaho is still really 🥶 cold at night. -4° forecasted for tomorrow night.
I keep my chicks in a separate coop from about 5 weeks to 8-10 weeks. After that, I prop the door open so they come and go at will getting integrated with the big girls.After a couple of weeks, they put themselves to bed in the big coop.
Even when I forgot to lock up my hens after they roamed their “grazing” area they always put themselves to bed in their nest boxes. If their coop door was shut the girls would flutter high into the fruit trees and sleep off the ground.Hens are smarter than people give then credit for if they are allowed some freedom within a safe and protected garden.
They say to do that with new barn cats too, or when you move to a new property with your barn cat. Except even after you let them out you still need to keep putting their food and water there
I've never had a problem getting chickens into their coops at night. They always just go in on their own as soon as it gets the slightest bit dusky. Maybe it has something to do with the breeds we chose.
I have 59 chickens five different coops. I open all coops during good days, at night they just go into the correct coop. Only problem i have is changing coops. I am building new different coops because i am not happy with the old coops. I know that i will have problems with the chickens wanting to go into the old coops. So i will try the 2 weeks. However i think two weeks is a bit too much.
Two weeks shut in the coop?? That is cruel and unusual punishment right there. Just check up on them the first evening, take the stragglers into the coop manually and that's it, next evening they'll know where to sleep.
I kept chickens in my backyard. The only reason I had to get rid of them. Was they poop so much and I don’t have time to clean up all of that every day that was one of the reasons I had to get rid of them
Or, you just put a light in there and they will go right in. You can literally build a coop and purchase chickens the same day, when you turn on the light in the coop, they will go right in, of course it will have to getting close to dark for it to work but it works. You don't need to lock them up for a few weeks.
My chickens go into the coop on their own at night. We definitely did not shut them in for 2 weeks. We raised 2 different batches of chicks so far and all of them found it just fine. They don't stray far from home. Our ducks and geese also know where to go but they're stubborn and don't have the same sleep habits as chickens so my husband goes out and just gently walks behind them and they go on in.
Yep, mine didn't get jail time either, they knew exactly where warm and cozy.
I've raised two sets. Show one of them where to go at sunset and the others follow. Takes about two days to train them.
Have your husband repeat the same thing every night as he walks them in (gold-Shaw farm yells “all ducks go to bed”) After a short time as soon as he calls out the same mantra they’ll come running in.
Will this work on our husbands ? Lmao 😂
He is a nice husband.
We place new chickens into the coop at night in the dark so everyone wakes up in the morning together . The old chickens see the new and think they belong there and Vice versa. The new chickens watch the older chickens get down from the roost and follow. As they flock together the roosters will start getting everyone sorted and he will wrangle them in and out .
We do the same thing 😀. It works every time.
Yup i always do the same thing.
That's so smart! My chickens go in and always have since I put them out there, because God made them pretty smart, but I wondered about if I got new chickens.😁
😆love that - rooster be a wranglin'❤ quick question - doesn't he also tend to fertilise them??🤔🤭😆
Some people don't know that brown chicken lay brown eggs white chicken lay white eggs 😂
Learned this from 5 years of chickens. Where they wake up is where they go to bed. No 2 weeks.
We had a small terrier mix name, Muffy. When we wanted to put the chickens in the coop, we would say, "(Go around Muffy), and he would go out into the corn field and bring them all in and put them in the coop. I'm sure he had some type of herd dog in him, but he looked terrier. He was a wonderful dog. That was over 40 years ago. It's crazy but I still miss that dog.
Terriers are the most smartest dogs on the planet 🌎
My dad had a free range chicken farm when I was a child. We went down in the evening and closed their houses. They were already in their houses roosting.
Good for your dad.... I have cut down drastically on meat but even in a sophisticated country like Britain I have a horrible feeling that many farm animals lead dreadful lives and that hurts me.
Chickens, far from being "stupid", are the product of hundreds of millions of years of evolution - their ancestors were dinosaurs - and when studied closely, have been proven time and time again to exhibit a whole range of very sophisticated traits - not least of which is organising themselves societally: it's not coincidence that we might describe someone's rank in terms of their position in the "pecking order". Therefore the notion of thousands of birds squashed together in fluorescent lit sheds standing up to their knees in their own guano, with nowhere to nest and nothing for them to forage is bad enough. But they're also so either selectively bred or genetically engineered to be fast growing (the birds for meat, certainly, rather than primarily eggs) that some collapse under their own weight as their juvenile frames aren't strong enough to support their adult bodies.
There are supposedly high standards set here even as a minimum but first of all I don't believe they're high enough - no hen should spend its whole life in a cage (never mind in an artificially lit, ammonia reeking, cacophonous crowd) - and it seems inconceivably unlikely that an individual animal receives medical attention in the case of illness or injury.
Furthermore, one wonders how rigidly the stricter requirements for the various grades of what might collectively be referred to as "higher welfare" - like organic, free range, corn fed etc - are enforced.
Whilst I do feel that on balance of probability, most farmers feel a duty of care for their animals and their wellbeing, inevitably there will be some who (even excluding the ghastly possibility some lack empathy altogether) that might mean others place a lower emphasis on the maintenance of standards. While the government does send out inspectors, there are so few of them that it seems possible that a farm might only get one visit in a generation. I have read that particularly where no issues are highlighted, it is likely to be years - decades in fact - before the next one. An awful lot of suffering can occur within that time.
I have seen every single argument there is and, while I hold no particular political views (let alone extreme ones), it is objectively factual that we don't need to eat flesh to survive. That it is easier to ensure we get the right mix of essential amino acids by doing so - not to mention more enjoyable - is unfortunately not the same thing. I admit to my hypocrisy given earlier acknowledging I haven't embraced vegetarianism. But I would rather eat a chicken, ghoulish that it might seem to some - that I know has previously run around pastures, pecking and clucking with its friends and taking dust baths in the sun and having a nice man like your dad being mum to them, popping round to see them every day chatting to them and giving them extra treats and even giving one or two a little cuddle! Providing them a high quality existence prior to dispatch for a dinner table, if not completely exonerating, at least seems to offer something by way of mitigation....
@mrkiplingreallywasanexceed8311 how do you get your chickens to make bat droppings ? I didn't read your entire novel of a response, I kinda couldn't continue after the guano comment. I should build a fire, fix a whiskey and read the rest of it. There may be more guano quality treasures in it
We have a light on a timer in our coup, comes on at dusk and off about an hour later. Chickens go to where the light is, learned this growing up on a chicken farm.
Two weeks is extreme. It only takes two or three days at most. Chickens are smarter than people give them credit for. Most of the time they will just go by themselves, especially if the coop is the only shelter available.
💯%
Chickens definitely smarter than Indians 😅😅
Ya and a very long time for them to be in a tiny place
And you should hopefully be letting them out during the daylight hours. Place them in the coop at night. It shouldn’t take more than a couple of days till they do it themselves.
I was just thinking that
I love the sound chickens make. So calming to me!!! Would love to live where I could have chickens!!!
I learned something new, love your videos the most 🐔💯👍
Those are some gorgeous birds
I raised my chickies from 2 days old. I built my coop in my garage before it was moved outside. The babies stayed inside the coop and only came out if it was a nice sunny day. Once moved outside I built an enclosed chicken run. As soon as it starts to get dark my babies jump inside the coop and perch up high where they sleep for the night. Their instinct tells em when to go in for the night.
Lo o
I put mine in manually at night for 4 nights. Then done. They all do it themselves.
It took a while when my first batch of chickens were first moved outside. Now, when I move them, all it takes is one night.
It's good you're answering people's questions, though.
Im a new chicken owner with teenage chickens… i was surprised to see that as soon as it gets dark… they go in all by themselves… which is just amazing to me…
Well that’s interesting, my chickens came pre-loaded with home location.
Super valuable info. Liked and subscribed
Glad I watched this. Just got new chicks. And I forgot about this part when putting them out in the coop for the first time.
I thought so too but 3 nights in a row now I’ve had to go put them back in myself. Just moved mine out there, kept them in for two weeks like you said and they just want to sleep outside in their run.
That’s exactly what I do,also we have some old chickens that teach the younger ones where to go so it’s like we don’t even have to show them. When they are old enough and big enough we put them with the older chickens and let them live their lives.
Good looking BardRocks!
When you lock them up for a few weeks make a certain noise every time you feed them. later you can walk up with a bit of food(or not) and make that noise and they will come running.
I shake their treat bag they coe running like they r in a race here them hitting the fence as each one goes through they go nuts for mealworms
Your flock look really healthy
I did the same thing except trying to get both my chickens and dad to stop using the tiny brooder cage was both frustrating and hilarious to watch full grown hens stuffing themselves inside the cage they were raised in as hatchling and my dad adamant that it was how he kept them safe.
U may want to add here that if they are going elsewhere to roost there is a problem in the henhouse.
Look carefully, there will ve something causing them to be afraid
2 weeks is a long time I only do it for 2 or 3 days and the all go in 😅
First time with chickens.
When the sun goes down , I have a light(solar) in the coop.
The chickens are drawn to the light. The light is on a timer that shuts off in two hours.
Perfect system that we just learned on our own.
In Maryland, we put our girls in every evening (no lock in) for about 4 or 5 days. They learned. New hens simply follow the old-timers with on their own.
I move my coop around the yard and discovered the chickens seek the smell of their poop. Took the poop boards out to scrape them off and moved the coop pretty far to new grass. The all huddled around the poop boards. We herded them to the coop where they went in after they got there. Boards make great heading tools. Now I make sure to put a poop board out near the coop if I move it. Seems to do the trick most of the time. No roosters so I get to go herd a stray hen or two from time to time.
If you have a rooster they will herd the hens in the rooster is very protective of his gals
I inherited chickens with my house. They are in bed before sunset all on their own. If I come out with snacks after that one brave hen, Neville will come out but then straight back in after he snack.
I had no idea they needed to be shown this.
Thanks for the help! Short & to the point!
True, but also putting a little scratch grain on the run works to lead them in to where hot mash is waiting. It a few days they'll rush in each afternoon . Or, like we always did with small flocks, let them roost in trees but bring them out of the trees in the morning to the coop with feed. Bears, owls, coyotes, stray dogs and cats, and it was rare to lose any. In coop, they're trapped and know it. And, that's how one sister lost her entire flock, when her son started to get them in at night and something got in and killed all of them.
That’s what my wife did to me to make sure I come home every night!
Chickens are stupid, but not too stupid. They instinctively seek dark places to roost when the sun starts to go down. As long as there isn't anywhere else they can go, they'll go right in, on their own. No probationary period necessary.
Chickens are definitely not stupid. They are very intelligent creatures.
Your mustache is iconic
My chickens went in the coop themselves, I love these kids!
My grandparents had a big chicken house, with long wooden poles suspended from the ceiling for them to sit on to sleep. In the early evening,the chickens walked into the chicken house and flew up onto a pole for the night. Then, Grandpa would close and latch the door for the night. In the morning, the rooster would crow, and Grandpa would go out to open the door to let them out to free-range during the day. 🐓🐔
Chickens know where food an water is at
My sisters rooster Kevin hollers at everyone around sundown and they all just follow. It always blew my mind bow smart chickens can be.
it's equally mind boggling how dumb they can be, too, though! 😅
"Let's go to bed." With my chicken stick, and in they go.
My three 8 month hens were trained to follow me by an offer of fruit. They will come running for fruit always. Lol
Chickens: please stop talking and give us treats😊
Works for ours. I have never had to chase them. They are in there as soon as it gets dark.
So clean. Everyone needs a structured life
Chickens have a natural instinct to put themselves away at night. The first couple of nights will have some out. My chickens live on 2 acres a e when the sun starts setting their clock goes off and they head back. I recommend giving the a smaller pen while learning but chicks love the sun and dirt baths.
I just put a lil dusk to down solar light in the house…they go right inside without any issue…and then I have an auto door…shuts at night and opens in the morning…I check on them at lest twice a day..I have 8 happy chicks and 8 honors guinies haha
Its like flying pigeons ...
For free range on grass:If you move the coop everyday, move the coop before letting them out and they will go back by themselves. A relative moved it after they were let out and they went back to the area where the coop had been.
Oh and don’t forget to buy a snow shovel to get one foot of poop from that coop. 😂. Nah, favorite treat from roaming into the run and by themselves from the run into the coop. Works every time as natural instinct of preservation. Built a new coop for new batch and never had to teach them where to go night night.
Spot on.....but not as long as 2 weeks for older birds.
Our girls know exactly when it’s time to go back in the coop. Our goose not so much. Lol
This might be necessary for a new batch of chickens that’s already grown but hasn’t had training, but most chickens when they are small will wake up in the house and just instinctively go back in. As you introduce more chicks they see the older chickens doing this and they learn where they are meant to be. 2 weeks locked up while it’s probably fine it is definitely overkill and probably isn’t the healthiest thing to do to a bunch of chickens
That's a beautiful rooster, what breed is he?
It’s doesn’t have to be two weeks either, mine have done it in under a week
I figured that out on my own through trial and error. Years later chickens are as easy as boiling water. Not that I boil my egg layers. Just an analogy.
I've got a couple of birds that regularly go to bed super early and a few that really push their limits of being able to see before going back in. Though I've noticed if there aren't a lot of comfortable roosting places in the run, they can be let out into the run during their two week training period. Especially if there are other chickens who already know what's up
One of my roos duties is to make sure the girls are all inside at night
Beautiful chickens!
You don’t need to shut them up for two weeks if they won’t go on the roost. I simply put a light in the coop that came on 10 minutes before dark and went off an hour after dark and after about a week I could remove the light. Small chickens and hens will go to the light
"Probation period".....did you make that up?....genius.
Thank you for the tip
I just call them in! They know what bedtime is which is also supplementary feeding time. They willingly follow me in every night.
2 weeks that’s rough lol. This last batch, I put all of mine in 1 by 1 the first night, nights 2 and 3 only 1 straggler by night 4 all went in no problems since
Good video.
Mine went to roost on their own. IF for some reason you need them to go in the coop at anytime during the day. Say you need to expand or fix the wire. A old timer said to put a towel or bag that's shredded on a cain pole and swing it over the coop. The shadow it casts will make them think a Chicken Hawk or other predator is eyeing them and they will all run for cover. Iv never tried it but he swore by it and it does make sense😂
Yep, this has always worked for us.
I have 50 free range chickens raised from chicks and 2 big coops when the sun starts getting low they find somewhere to sleep if your coop is adequate they’ll chose it over the dangerous ground. You don’t need to lock them in a box for weeks chickens dont run away like dogs. 😂
Raiser here. When it turns dark they just go in. Did it fir years
I just put mine in the coop by hand for a little over a week when it was about dark. And they naturally just learned to go in the coop
Yep I did it a week … 7 days worked out great.
it's so much easier than that, just leave the door open till it gets dark, they'll find their way
A very simple concept
We raise a couple flocks and all we do when it's the first night with a new coop is to put them inside a couple minutes before they'd start looking for a place to sleep. Next day they'll go in by themselves.
Same for when you have in/outdoor cats when you move.
I had a pigeon in with my chicks
They followed the pigeon everywhere and went to bed with the pigeon 🤣🤣🤣
Chickens are very trainable. I love it.
My chickens walk in themselves when its dark
They go in with the sun goes down. It's instinctual. However, if you need them in before sundown, train them with hot dogs.
I’m so surprised by how long some UA-camrs keep the inside. We helped our chickens get in the first night and kept an eye on them the next few days but they went in by themselves. I don’t think chickens like being inside for that long at all, mine go mental if I don’t let them out in the morning.
Gosh golly, 2 weeks seems kinda harsh to me. Our hens love to go into the coop at night because we leave them a warm treat every night. Either some cooked cracked wheat mush or cooked oatmeal or table scraps. They stay warmer while digesting, so we have heard. SE Idaho is still really 🥶 cold at night. -4° forecasted for tomorrow night.
That is cold!
If they violate probation, we’ll it’s a winner winner chicken dinner
Mine get in by themselves as soon starts getting dark
i'm going to have to try this. my 6 week old chicks are pretty dumb
Leave it open when it starts to get dark they will go in to roost
I keep my chicks in a separate coop from about 5 weeks to 8-10 weeks. After that, I prop the door open so they come and go at will getting integrated with the big girls.After a couple of weeks, they put themselves to bed in the big coop.
Even when I forgot to lock up my hens after they roamed their “grazing” area they always put themselves to bed in their nest boxes. If their coop door was shut the girls would flutter high into the fruit trees and sleep off the ground.Hens are smarter than people give then credit for if they are allowed some freedom within a safe and protected garden.
They say to do that with new barn cats too, or when you move to a new property with your barn cat. Except even after you let them out you still need to keep putting their food and water there
Same advice for cats that are gonna be inside/outside cats. Works like a charm.
I've never had a problem getting chickens into their coops at night. They always just go in on their own as soon as it gets the slightest bit dusky. Maybe it has something to do with the breeds we chose.
If you've decode their language, would you tell us what their different cluckings mean?
I have 59 chickens five different coops. I open all coops during good days, at night they just go into the correct coop. Only problem i have is changing coops. I am building new different coops because i am not happy with the old coops. I know that i will have problems with the chickens wanting to go into the old coops. So i will try the 2 weeks. However i think two weeks is a bit too much.
Chicken r smart always find a safe place at night without coop will be on top of the branch
Two weeks shut in the coop?? That is cruel and unusual punishment right there.
Just check up on them the first evening, take the stragglers into the coop manually and that's it, next evening they'll know where to sleep.
Mine put themselves away never taught them hahahaha
Turn on a light, they go in by themselves. Lol
I kept chickens in my backyard. The only reason I had to get rid of them. Was they poop so much and I don’t have time to clean up all of that every day that was one of the reasons I had to get rid of them
Little stones or corn in a metal can they have to be able to hear it from a distance?
Or, you just put a light in there and they will go right in. You can literally build a coop and purchase chickens the same day, when you turn on the light in the coop, they will go right in, of course it will have to getting close to dark for it to work but it works. You don't need to lock them up for a few weeks.
Turning the coop into a super max prison
I do if for 2-3 days and it works the same way, I can’t imagine ever locking them up for 2 weeks. I guess some old timers got it and others don’t.