[wiggy]

  I have just bought my first POL hens- went for 6 and ended up with 8 and a cockerel! (good start). Got the hens 2 days ago and have had 1 egg so far! I am wondering what happens at night time- i was led to believe that once it starts to get dark the hens would go into their house for the night but this hasn't happened. tonight i was out in the pitch black rounding them up and lifting them manually into the house!! does anyone have any tips/advice on what to do please. Also should i put food and water into the house at night or do they have enough during the day  thanks

[orchardlady]

You may find that you need to lift them gently into the hen house for the first few nights, maybe up to a week. Chickens can be extremely bright about things to eat and escape tactics but on other things like going to bed in a new home they seem to not have much sense. Give them time and they will soon be going to bed at dusk. Mine are in bed by 5.15pm at the moment and I let them out at just after 7am.

There is no need to put food and water in the house over night. They are just like a 6 month old baby and can survive overnight perfectly well without further sustenance. They will be sound asleep (possibly unlike the 6 month old baby) .

[jinty1911]

Mine are queuing up to go to bed at 4.30!! But then it's really 5.30 to them and dusk is dusk. I let them out at 7.30 which was really 8.30 so must be a long night for them  :blink:
Jinty 

[ShoeGirl]

The first 2 days after i got my first 4 girls we had to point them in the direction of the coop at bedtime and by day 3 they were all tucked up on top of each other in the nesting boxes already when i went out to lock them up.

Since then i've got 3 more girls & a boy. All 8 trot off to bed as soon as it gets dark and there's a queue at the coop door!! 

[bantam novice]

I just wanted to say welcome to the forum and welcome to the wacky world of henaholics!
Be prepared to become addicted 

[evie2]

Hello Wiggy, when we got our Sablepoots it took a few of weeks of putting them in before they did it themselves.  I put our security light on, usually about now, so they don't come back out when we go to lock them up

[oborne27]

my 5 RIR's que at 4pm and are in bed by 4.30pm at the moment, I leave the door open so they are out at 5.30am on there own (and in the dark!!!  silly things, its funny wathcing them wonder around in teh dark). Its totally fox proof though.
They've always gone to bed on there own from the first day I got them so I guess i was lucky in that respect.
Good luck and they will find their own routine.

[Sassy]

You could try throwing corn into the house to get them to bed or putting a torch on in the house encourages them as they go to the light.

[evie2]

Persistence Wiggy, persistence, they'll get the message between you and me, I miss putting them in sometimes, especially when there's piles of washing up to do

[wiggy]

  Many thanks to all that replied, good to know there are people out there when problems arise! Anyway last night they formed an orderly queue and went into the coop- then two decided to come back out! Tonight though they all went in one by one and stayed there, although this could have something to do with the torrential rain we've just had in sunny Pembrokeshire   Thanks again