Won't go in the coop

[FluffandRaul]

This is my first time raising chickens and I have two 7 week old chicks that were moved out to the coop about a week ago. However, they will not 'put themselves to bed' at night. We are early to bed and early to rise so it is still a bit light out when we typically go to bed, so I thought that it not being dark may be the problem; but even when it is dark, they just seem to huddle up in a corner of their 15'x15' fenced yard. I am in the Puget Sound Area of Washington and it still gets down in the 40's at night, so I am to 'chicken' to leave them out yet. Which means my husband and I go on the chicken hunt rounding them up every night (at least there is only two). Also, I have never seen them go into the coop during the day.

How do I make the coop their new home? How do I train them to go to bed?

Thanks in advance for any advice and tips.

 

[ruby]

put some treats in the coop. and keep putting them to bed each night.

 

[nccountrygirl]

Good ?. I have 2 that are 12 and 14 weeks old and refuse to go in the coop at night, so every night my DH has to go down there, put them in the coop and lock them up for the night. I think they are destined to be roost chickens.

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

Do y'all have a light in the coop? They usually won't go into a coop that is darker than outside until they know that it's home.

Jean

 

[nccountrygirl]

Mine have been in the little girl coop and run for over a month so they should know by now that it's home but still we will find them on the outside roost when we get home from work at 11:00 PM.

 

[HennyPennies2007]

OK... How about this one. I have a nearly 12 week old cockerel that refuses to go into the coop during thunderstorms. It pours on him and he stands up on a bale of hay in it loooking like the saddest sack. Wind blows him off... rain pours... thunder roars... he does not care. I tried last time to catch him and put him in... that was a spectacle for sure... then I tried to chase him in with a grass rake... The neighbors must love the whole scene... I should charge for the show... What a dork. I call him Hemmingway because he looks so depressed out there. I am waiting for him to get struck by lightning!:

 

[Red]

When we first put our chicks outside in the run, they would stan in the corner and peep loudly when it got dark. We had to go out and put them into their house at night, and shut the door behind them so they couldn't get back out. Then in the morning we opened the door and let them take themselves out. After three / four nights of this they learnt to take themselves to bed at night

 

[farm_mom]

I agree with Jean, a light on in the coop for the first few nights helps them immensely. They go towards the light, as it were, and then after that you can turn it off and they'll go in at night all on their own at dusk.