Britannia Ovens (esp Range cookers) your experience

[Forestchook]

Tonight I let my four 12 (ish) week old chicks out to FR for the second time. Knowing they tend to settle down for the night around between 9.30 and 10 I let them out at 9pm. Around 9.30 they did indeed settle down for the night.... outside on the ground, a few feet from my other chooks' run . They did the same when i first tried letting them FR a few weeks ago. Again I let them out shortly before they normally settle down for the night. After an hour they finally huddled together under the trampoline! That's why I left it so long to try again.

I was working on the the theory was they would put themselves to bed after FR and I could gradually train them to go in using corn/treats (as I did for my other girls and boy). Then I might be able to FR them at a more sociable hour.

It's not that I mind picking them up and returning them to the run but as three out of the four are boys I am hoping to rehome them to a farm where they will free range. If they don't even have the instinct to try to get off the ground to roost at night then they won't stand a chance! I know it's early days but when kept in the run they put themselves to bed in the coop no problem and have been doing so for weeks (albeit one or more normally has one end or the other sticking out the pop hole). Any suggestions what the problem might be?

N

[Egluntyne]

Probably the light level was too low and they couldn't see where they were going.

[chuckmum6]

Yes, did try when they aren't so dopy!

[karlotta]

I can sympathise... my 13 week chicks have been spending all day with the big girls (bantams!) for a few days now and one of the babies thinks it's a splendid idea to roost about 10ft up a conifer tree at bedtime...