Keeping them in their coop will help them recognize home-photo R. Caldwell

Now that it's warm at night here and your chicks are likely feathered out pretty well, it's time to get them into their adult digs. Moving chicks to the coop once you've raised them inside is a frightening experience for many new chicken-keepers. With a little bit of help, this can be a smooth transition to an exciting new world for your little feathered puffs of curiosity, as well as a relief! Getting the dust-makers out of the house will return a bit of normalcy and allow for real Spring Cleaning in your home!

Chicks stick close to home initially to gain confidence-photo R. Caldwell

If you've followed all of the detailed advice in building your flock's coop and know that it's all but bear-proof, then you'll feel more comfortable putting the kids out. Do a run around and see if you can get two fingers in anywhere near where the chicks will be sleeping to be certain no night marauders will reach in and pull them out bit-by-bit. It's a graphic image, but better this author scare you than the horror actually occur!! Make certain you haven't any weak spots and that all locks and latches are either redundant, too difficult for a 5 year-old to figure out, or both! In our area, we have raccoons, minks, skunks, and foxes, all able to dig under should they choose- is the perimeter of the coop bolstered by rocks, buried wire or stakes? Paranoid? Yes, likely. However, it's good to know your territory and what level of defense is necessary, even in the middle of town. All safe? Great!

Chicks will gain confidence and roam their run or yard- photo R. Caldwell

Have you figured out a night-light? Yes- this sounds a bit on the I-spoil-my-chickens-want-to-see? side, but it's an important coop feature in chicken-keeping-ease. Coops that have a light appear safe inside at dusk. Owners will observe that chickens have very poor vision in low-light situations and are naturally terrified of dark spaces- even if a familiar area (there could be a monster in there!). Even a small bit of light gives them security to get settled in and roost for the night. You'll find your chicks milling around outside or huddled near the door of the coop if you don't give them ample light to see their way to roost each night. A solar light is generally sufficient, though many owners will run power for future heating and cooling options. A solar light will turn on at dusk; timers are very helpful for those with power. My personal favorite is a long string of solar LED clear Christmas lights, run on small hooks around the perimeter of the coop's ceiling. These can be found on ebay.

Now that you have everything covered, put the chicks out in the coop with food and water and keep them inside for at least a couple of days. This makes the coop and run familiar- and an obvious home base for them if you intend to free-range. Obviously, if you're using a chicken-tractor, they can't wander far. If not, you'll find that they'll stick very close for the first week or so, then gradually start really exploring the area. Don't worry if you have to shepherd them in the first few nights- they won't have had the benefit of a hen teaching them 'bedtime' initially. They'll soon head home at dusk with the beacon of safety shining from their coop's pop door, and you'll feel like a proud mother hen!