Moving chickens to permanent coop

[Heaven 11]

Hi All, I searched the forums and did not find an answer to this question, so here goes: I am not one of those lucky people who has a real relationship with my six girls. I have had them since they were 2-3 days old and they are now 10-12 weeks. They've been living in a pen in my garage and it is now (finally) time to transfer them to their permanent home. Given that they all scatter to the very back of the pen when I open the door, I need to know the best and safest way to catch and transfer the ladies to their new home. I will have to transport them 100+ feet from where they are now.

Once they are in their new home, should I just allow them the entire run - it is a 4 feet x 14 feet chicken tractor - or should I lock them in the coop for a period of time? I would much prefer to just let them loose in there but want to be sure they will know to go in the coop at night.

Any help will be appreciated. THANKS!

 

[DobieLover]

Hi All, I searched the forums and did not find an answer to this question, so here goes: I am not one of those lucky people who has a real relationship with my six girls. I have had them since they were 2-3 days old and they are now 10-12 weeks. They've been living in a pen in my garage and it is now (finally) time to transfer them to their permanent home. Given that they all scatter to the very back of the pen when I open the door, I need to know the best and safest way to catch and transfer the ladies to their new home. I will have to transport them 100+ feet from where they are now.

Once they are in their new home, should I just allow them the entire run - it is a 4 feet x 14 feet chicken tractor - or should I lock them in the coop for a period of time? I would much prefer to just let them loose in there but want to be sure they will know to go in the coop at night.

Any help will be appreciated. THANKS!

That's a pretty small space for 6 birds.
Were you finishing up the tractor and that is why you waited so long to put them in it?
Wait until it's dark out and move them to the coop section of the tractor and place them on the roosts. Let them out in the morning.
You'll likely have to help them back in the coop in the evening if they have to use a ramp. Leaving a dim light in the coop section will help them navigate into the coop but they still will have difficulty if they've never used a ramp before.

 

[azygous]

I take it these are your first ever chickens? If so, I strongly advise you to spend a couple of days before moving them into the new coop and run by clicker training them to come to you. Having chickens that are so afraid and skittish that they cannot easily be handled is a huge detriment to keeping healthy chickens. Chickens that do not permit you to easily handle them can develop all sorts of disorders and even injuries that can fester unnoticed until too late to treat them.

This clicker training is the easiest thing in the world to do. Buy a clicker for about $1 at any pet store. Buy a carton of live meal worms. Begin by getting down on the level of the chicks, not hovering above them, opening the enclosure and tossing a couple of meal worms to the chicks while clicking the clicker.

Take a pause and come back in half an hour and repeat the meal worm toss and clicking the clicker. In another half hour, return and this time, click the clicker and hold a worm in your fingers. Invariably, one brave chick will run up and snatch the worm.

Do it again. Another chick will see the opportunity and snatch the worm after hearing the clicker. This may be enough training for the day. Repeat this training on day two, using the clicker each time you offer a worm. Make the chicks take it from your fingers.

Soon they will associate the sound of the clicker with meal worms and will come to you. Begin touching the chicks as they take the worms. Gradually work up to handling the chicks gently. Never shoot out a hand suddenly and grab. Be slow and gentle, and the chicks will gradually learn being handled is a pleasant experience.

You are likely to have tame chicks in two or three days that will come to you and allow you to pick them up and place them in a carrier to ferry them to their new digs, and you'll have tame chickens that make handling them a pleasant experience for humans and chickens both.

 

[Boise-girls]

I take it these are your first ever chickens? If so, I strongly advise you to spend a couple of days before moving them into the new coop and run by clicker training them to come to you. Having chickens that are so afraid and skittish that they cannot easily be handled is a huge detriment to keeping healthy chickens. Chickens that do not permit you to easily handle them can develop all sorts of disorders and even injuries that can fester unnoticed until too late to treat them.

This clicker training is the easiest thing in the world to do. Buy a clicker for about $1 at any pet store. Buy a carton of live meal worms. Begin by getting down on the level of the chicks, not hovering above them, opening the enclosure and tossing a couple of meal worms to the chicks while clicking the clicker.

Take a pause and come back in half an hour and repeat the meal worm toss and clicking the clicker. In another half hour, return and this time, click the clicker and hold a worm in your fingers. Invariably, one brave chick will run up and snatch the worm.

Do it again. Another chick will see the opportunity and snatch the worm after hearing the clicker. This may be enough training for the day. Repeat this training on day two, using the clicker each time you offer a worm. Make the chicks take it from your fingers.

Soon they will associate the sound of the clicker with meal worms and will come to you. Begin touching the chicks as they take the worms. Gradually work up to handling the chicks gently. Never shoot out a hand suddenly and grab. Be slow and gentle, and the chicks will gradually learn being handled is a pleasant experience.

You are likely to have tame chicks in two or three days that will come to you and allow you to pick them up and place them in a carrier to ferry them to their new digs, and you'll have tame chickens that make handling them a pleasant experience for humans and chickens both.

Great advice! I got my chickens from someone at 11 months, and they were half wild. One of the Sebrights will take dried grubs from my fingers, but the others are still skittish. Will give your method a try!

 

[Boise-girls]

Hi All, I searched the forums and did not find an answer to this question, so here goes: I am not one of those lucky people who has a real relationship with my six girls. I have had them since they were 2-3 days old and they are now 10-12 weeks. They've been living in a pen in my garage and it is now (finally) time to transfer them to their permanent home. Given that they all scatter to the very back of the pen when I open the door, I need to know the best and safest way to catch and transfer the ladies to their new home. I will have to transport them 100+ feet from where they are now.

Once they are in their new home, should I just allow them the entire run - it is a 4 feet x 14 feet chicken tractor - or should I lock them in the coop for a period of time? I would much prefer to just let them loose in there but want to be sure they will know to go in the coop at night.

Any help will be appreciated. THANKS!

I relocated my coop to connect it to a run a few days after I got six 11-month old hens. I needed to do it during the day, since I was also relocating the coop. They were afraid of me and I didn't want to traumatize them - this is what worked for me. I put a large dog kennel with some straw in it up to the little coop door. When a couple of curious hens wandered in, we closed both doors and carried them to their new run. I had to gently herd the last one into the dog kennel, but it worked remarkably well. I was pleasantly surprised! Of course, taming them would be the best method, but I had no clue how to do it, and wanted to get them to a larger space due to some behavioral issues.

 

[3KillerBs]

At night after dark put them into a pet carrier to transport them to the new coop and sit them on the roosts.

Use a dim, red light so as not to disturb them too much.

 

[McChooky]

Wait until dark because chickens can't see good at night.Pick them up one by one and gently put them in a crate or box and carry them to the new coop for the night.Leave a light on the first night and after that they should be fine.Hand feeding them will tame them.The cockeral(s) will be the boldest and friendliest chick..and 1st to eat out of your hands.

 

[Heaven 11]

Well, I needed to get them out yesterday and was a bit impatient. I crawled into their pen and picked them up and took them to the coop two at a time. They are all now safely in there. Getting ready to post another thread because they won't come out.

 

[aart]

Getting ready to post another thread because they won't come out.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...k-old-chickens-go-without-food-water.1471829/

 

[Heaven 11]

That's a pretty small space for 6 birds.
Were you finishing up the tractor and that is why you waited so long to put them in it?
Wait until it's dark out and move them to the coop section of the tractor and place them on the roosts. Let them out in the morning.
You'll likely have to help them back in the coop in the evening if they have to use a ramp. Leaving a dim light in the coop section will help them navigate into the coop but they still will have difficulty if they've never used a ramp before.

I put them in their coop last night and they hopped on their roosts. This am I opened the door and out they came. Went out at dusk and all six ladies were in the coop. It is small but it will be moved every 2-3 days.