Just like wild birds, chickens have the same built-in body clock when it comes to roosting time. Chickens will instinctively know when it’s time to go into the coop to roost based on the light levels. They know that once it goes dark they won’t be able to find the coop which is their place of warmth and safety.
You may be wondering “How do you train chickens to stay in the coop?”
Some believe that how to train them is simple ; just lock them in their coop full time for a few days. For young chickens, lock them in for about 3-4 days and for older hens do 5-7. To do this you need a feeder and waterer in your coop . Chickens need access to fresh water 24/7, and must be fed at least once a day.
During the period of initial confinement, the chickens will learn to view the coop as their home. When you are ready to let them out, open the door and let the chickens decide to go out on their own. At first, they may be reluctant to go outdoors. Or the bolder flock members may wander outside while the more timid ones stay behind.
Do chickens return to the coop every night?
When this happens, you have to retrain your chickens to return to their coop every night. Unfortunately, this means you will have to start over with confinement for 1-2 weeks. In time, your chickens will forget about their new favorite roost and remember that home is truly where they feel the most comfortable and safe.
Our chickens are almost a year old now, so we don’t have any problem getting them to go into their coop at night, but that wasn’t always the case. When we first put them outside, they would just stand around in their run long after dark.
Some flocks are quicker to catch on, while others require a little extra patience, but eventually your chickens will learn to go into their coop on their own at nightfall. Should chickens be locked in coop at night? In Chickens, Keeping your chickens safe is of utmost importance.
One source claimed that maybe they are leary of the ramp, too. Good luck with the chickens. Daniel you might want to gather up your chickens and lock them in the coop for a few days till they start to think of the coop as home. Once they feel at home in their new coop they should put themseves to bed at dark unless their pretty young.
Do chickens know when it’s time to go home?
So as the day draws to a close, and it starts to get dark, the hens already sense that it is time to go home – to the warmth and safety of the coop. It is true chickens are creatures of HABIT.
When can my chickens go outside?
They can go outside at 4 weeks as long as they have a heat lamp. I’m looking to put mine out soon once I have a coop open. I’ll put a heat lamp out there for them and let them have the run of the coop. They won’t be allowed in the run for a while though. We all do it differently.
Should I get a chicken door for my Coop?
If you can’t always be on hand to close and secure the pophole after the chickens go in for the night, consider getting an automatic chicken door. Rats rummaging around on the coop floor, and especially nibbling on the toes of sleeping chickens, will disturb the chickens’ sleep, discouraging them from roosting inside.