New grown chickens to new coop and home

[theredlines]

Ok guys, I keep running into dead ends trying to figure out what I'm doing. We had our landlord bring by a couple grown hens yesterday. When he got here he turned a burlap sack upside down and out they came free as a bird so to speak. When I went to get them they flew right off into the jungle next to our property. I tried rounding them up a couple times but finally gave up when they flew into the trees around dusk. This morning they were back on our property making themselves at home. I left them to wander around most of the day to let them get used to us. Late in the afternoon a storm began to approach so I decided to get them into the coup. Well, we got one. The other is sleeping up in the jungle trees again tonight. I don't know how they were raised up until this point. They were free ranged but how free is anyone's guess. They do things quite differently here in Thailand. Can you guys give me an idea of how to go from here. I'd like to train them to head to the coop in the evenings so I can have an easier time collecting eggs and keeping the hatches battened when need be. I have another hen and a cock on their way here as well. Should I keep them in the coop for a couple weeks to let them know where home is? Any help would be wonderful.

 

[N F C]

Hi (and if I missed saying it before, Welcome to BYC!),

If you have a net, you might be able to nab the new ones while they are on the ground. Once you do get them, keep them in the coop for several days so they get used to it and know where home is. Chickens will roost in trees at night (like other birds). Good luck catching them and with your new birds.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yes, lock them in the coop for a week or so, day and night. They should learn that your coop is home and start sleeping in there. Hopefully they will learn to lay in there too.

Try trapping that chicken so you can lock it in the coop. If you have a run, maybe feed in there and try to get the gate closed when it is in there feeding. That can be a challenge. If you have kids the appropriate age or want to try it yourself, prop a cardboard box up on a stick and tie a long string to that stick. Put food under there and sit very patiently a long way away with the other end of that string. When the chicken is under the box, jerk the string and hope to get lucky.

Maybe watch where it roosts at night and try to get it out of the tree. That sound simple but sometimes it can be hard to find exactly where they are roosting or they may be in a real hard spot to get to.

Good luck.

 

[theredlines]

Thank you for the help. Well she's back in that tree again tonight. She's been staying close to her sister through the day. We tried catching her a few times but she outsmarts us and flies right back into the jungle. I might try something like the trap idea. I need to pick up a casting net.