Did you know chickens don't automatically troup in to their coop at dusk? Neither did i...HELP!

[largeginandtonic]

Please help me, we have just bought 6 lovely chickens who are currently hopping round the garden.

We bought them Sunday, let them out yestrday and went to put them in their coop last night about 4. It was HELL.

What do we do?

you need to keep them in a bit longer then. Maybe shut them in for another 2 days. I've never had a problem with chickens not going into their house when it gets dark.
Are you saying you put them in at 4pm? It would have been too light for them then. They go in when it's getting really quite dark.

yes, what geekgirl says - keep them in there for longer periods so they know it is theirs and can 'fight it out' for the best positions! It won't harm them to be mainly cooped up for a few days so that they get used to their new home. Tempt them in with food later - mine will do absolutely anything and go anywhere for food!!

My grandma kept chickens and I don't remember her ever putting them in that early - even in the winter

same applies if you get any new chickens in the future - you'll have to 'teach' her where her new home is in the same way, or put her inside at night after the others have gone in

oh we had chickens when i was young. they never went back in, we ended up with a run, so not exactly free range!

@ LG&T trying to bathe six children and put 6 chickens in their coop, ALL at 6pm.

Sorry.

Oh thank you thank you

I thought we were being mean keeping them in for too long. They are out now, should i leave them today but when it gets dark later put them in and leave them for a while?

They have already laid 3 eggs too! I am amazed, i relly thought it would take them a while to settle in here.

TYG bugger off

I have 6 children one for each chicken, tis all planned...

Did they lay the eggs inside the coop? TBH I'd leave them, they'll most likely go in tonight when it gets properly dark. As PPH said, tempt them with food.

They did lay in the coop, is that normal? Do they lay in the day or at night?

Shall i starve them all day and tempt them back in later with the mixed corn or regular food?

Thank you again and i apologise for my ineptness Children are one thing chickens quite another.

yes, that's really good hopefully it means they consider it home.
They generally lay when they're awake - any time from dawn till dusk.
Yes, it might be a good idea to not feed them now (they'll find plenty in the garden anyway) and then feed them inside tonight (with lots of rattling of corn ).

Does that mean more chickens will be coming soon then?

Thank you, will whip the worms out their mouths if i see them to keep them hungry!

Any other top chicken tips? I inhaled a load of Diatoms yesterday will i turn in to a 4500 year old algae?

Nj i blardy hope not, 6 is enough. Chickens that is not children

give them food first thing (inside if you are keeping them indoors for them to get used to it) and let them feed themselves around the garden during the day, even if they act ravenous when they see you (it is all just a big chicken act ), then put some food for them indoors to feed them up before the night, when it gets colder, to help them keep warm. It's no problem keeping them indoors in the mornings, especially if you want to encourage them to always lay in the same place (so you can always find the eggs). It's how all the free range chickens are kept around here, indoors all morning for laying then wandering free for the rest of the day (the gardens have no fences so it is all very disorderly!!)

Thought of another thing - you'll probably get some in-fighting for the first couple of week. Pecking order and all that. So keep an eye out for injuries and don't get too upset when you see them pecking and bullying each other. It's just the way they sort out their ranking.

Hats off to you - six kids and six chickens! [Impressed]

Thanks Princess, we have noticed some pecking. They are a socialble bunch, just had one come right up to me

They will probably get used to putting themselves in - 4pm is way earlier than my chooks go to bed. You can also get some corn which is a big treat for chickens and tempt them in with that. Ours needed showing where to go for the first few nights (before that they used to roost in the trees and we had to poke them out, a bit like playing chicken pinata ) Even our ducks go off to the house at night now and ducks aren't supposed to do that (I think they're probably G&T ducks though )

Egg-laying wise, mine generally start off laying first thing in the morning, then gradually lay later and later in the day then have a break before starting again. If they're free range keep a look out for them making a nest somewhere else!

g&t, how was bedtime?

Errr....just a downbeat note.

Be aware that some areas have brave foxes & as soon as it's dusk/pre-dawn they can be there prwoling round the coop.

My SIL has to put her chooks in about 4.30 as Foxy-Loxy has been known to come calling before dark.

I had to round mine up with a torch for the first time ever. The wind had blown their shed door shut. Eb the rooster and the two ex batts got in but my speckeldies were on the kitchen windowsill and th eothers in the garage.

I still have one free spirirted one who roosts on the tool bench in DH's shed rather than the coop with the others.

at largegandt and her Larkin style arrangements..

Be casreful not to leave them out when its very cold..we once did with ours and one froze to a tree branch..(in the day this was!)But then we did live somewhere relatively mountainous, not sure you would have the same prob down south..

Oh no Mink
foxes have eaten all of my ducks and now I only have 3 hens left.
OP I would keep them in their run for a week.. Actually I see you have a coop, do you have a run?

oh that's awful minkvelvet
our cockerel had all his tail feathers ripped out by a pack of dogs yesterday, poor old thing. He looks ever so silly but good on him, he did escape them.