What time do your chickens go to bed?

[justacountrygirl]

Sorry - another question!

What time do your chickens take themselves to bed? Mine are still learning and I have to put them in every night - I go out about 5.15ish at the moment - it can take a while to persuade them all into the hen house (comedy routine).

Wondering if this is the right time - it's just starting to get dark and by the time they are all in and I have sorted out the feeder and the water container it doesn't feel that dark until you go inside.

If they were taking themselves to bed, when do they do this? ie how dark is it?

[Pixel]

Mine don't go in until quite dark if the weather is ok. Sometimes I think they must surely be in bed and creep out to shut their door but they hear me and come running out to see if I have food. I've usually only mis-timed by about five minutes! If the weather is really bad they often take themselves off as soon as it starts to get darker so there is no set time really.

[justacountrygirl]

Hurrah - they've finally learned to go in just as it's getting dark. My life has suddenly got so much easier!

[Chasingsquirrels]

Dusk.
But I never shut them up so I don't know if that's early or late dusk.
I had to persuade the new ones into the house on their first night a few weeks ago but since then they have been fine.

[hellymelly]

Mine go in at dusk. Glad yours have got the hang of it. mine are mostly in a run so not at risk, but I still worry about foxes tunnelling under after dark, so they are always shut in the house. if they are roaming free they make for the house as dusk starts anyway.

[duchesse]

Are they ex-battery hens? Those are kept in highly unnatural surroundings where they are unable to be real chickens and it does take them a while to start to behave like chickens,

Mine go in at dusk as well.

[Philoslothy]

Around dusk although we don't lock them up so they go go bed when they are tired.

[justacountrygirl]

Ours are getting much bolder and cheekier now, and there's one who has now decided that going to bed is boooring. I end up hanging around in near-darkness waiting for her to go to bed. If I go into the enclosure and try to chase her into the coop, the others come out to see what the fuss is about. Sigh. Just like kids.