4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[tmlk]

We have only had our chicks for two nights, both nights we have had to catch one and tempt the second in with food! (two man job)

 

But in on my own tonight... til 11ish, and after my attempts they wont go in:

gettin worried as is very dark now, can hardly see them!

 

do i shoo them with a broom as suggested on this forum?

[Falkor]

Are they just not going into the Eglu? I take it they are shut in the run?

 

You can try the broom but first i would try shining a torch inside the eglu through the pop hole. They are attacted to the light. Chooks eyesight is bad as soon as the lights fall so they probably can`t see where they are meant to be going.

 

Hope that helps! Let us know how you get on

 

Em

x

[lizbeth]

This is our second night with our new arivals and thought we were going to have trouble getting them to bed.

We thought it would be a good idea to turn the kitchen lights off (facing the garden) and also we removed the solar powered lights dotted around the garden. We thought this might be confusing them!

They went to bed soon after so I'd give it a try if you haven't already!

Liz x

[tmlk]

They are in the run...settling next to the eglu entrance...i think the little on eis asleep!

Have tried torch not working but will try turning kitchen light off...turnt it on so i could see them

I feeel mean shooing them with broom

[tmlk]

Hooray they are in, very reluctunly, with the broom!

 

Are are quite chirpy, but normally are before they seem to settle... will they get the hang of it soon?

 

Thanks Palmer07 and Lisbeth for your quick replies

[henpen]

I guess they get the hang of it eventually. We've had our hens since last Friday and the first night Lottie tried to fly into the front of the cube - not the LHS where the ladder and door are but the RHS!?!

 

We used the torch successfully the first 2 nights and now they go in by themselves, but I don't understand why they all go in and then come back out several times before they eventually settle inside. Is this normal and will they eventually go in once and stay in?

[tmlk]

Someone on here(sorry cant find it or remember who it was) wrote that they have 17 chooks and they all go in and out, and they thought it was to do with pecking order, so maybe thats why if you've got four?

 

Ours seem to do everything in the same order... the big one first then the little... eating, drinking, sratching, going in or out the house!

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Glad they are in bed now, I had to use the torch trick to get my Orpie to go into the Eglu when she was in solitary...DH was less patient & used the broom to "encourage" her too! The next night she went in on her own without any problems.

 

Ours start to go to bed quite early, but there's usually a bit of one chook in one chook out two chooks in one chook out for about half an hour before they all settle down & go to sleep !

 

Sha x

[tmlk]

Hopefully she go to bed without the broom tomorrow then

[Abbey Road Girl]

I'm guessing that you have been keeping your chickens in the run so that they will realise that it is their home. So far so good.

 

When my Cube was put together by the Omlet man, he put my four Miss Pepperpots up into the coop so that they would have no choice but to climb down the steps for food and water--it worked a treat!

 

They do respond to light as others have said.

 

Best of luck to you!

[tmlk]

Yes we are going to keep them in till the weekend, i think my torch isnt bright enough? its only like a tiny spotlight but i cant find the main one!

 

We put them in from the run end... perhaps we should have done from the eglu? bit late now... hopefully theyll get the hang of it, early days still

[Chickvic]

I 'helped' my girls in with the broom for the first couple of nights and then they were fine. They'll work it out - honest