Catching your chickens,

[Life is Good!]

Bribery. That's how I catch ours and/or get them where I want them to be.

Red grapes, plain yogurt, mealworms (their favorite!), peas, oatmeal......

I've 'trained' them that their evening treats come in a certain kind of container (aluminum pie pan) - so all they have to do is see me walking with the pie pan in hand and they chase ME! I put the pie pan where I want them (inside their tractor) and they all just file in to get the goodies.

Good luck!

 

[tiffanyhurd]

We have a shed that we turned into their house and fenced off an area of the yard for them. All I have to do is walk into their coop and they follow me in. Whenever I go into their area they follow my every step!!

 

[TigerLilly]

If I need to corral mine before dark, all I have to do is get the feed bucket out & put some treats (or feed) in it. They already run toward the porch when they see me coming out, so all I have to do is open the door to the run. Then I stand off to the side of the door while calling, "Here, chickie, chickie" and toss some feed/treats in the run. Very seldom do I have to actually chase one down!

 

[Hinotori]

If I have to catch one that doesn't want caught, I use a fish landing net with a nice long handle. Just drop over their head and pick them out of it. My EE and silkie girls like being petted so I don't need it for them. The nice silkie cockeral likes stay out of range but if you get him up against anything he doesn't fight. The mean boy needs the net. The babies that think I'm the devil come to eat them do as well, though they are coming out of that phase.

If it's not important to catch them, I just wait until they go in for bed. They don't complain to much then.

 

[LiLRedCV]

I, too, have more than one coop (although we're in the process of building a shed kit with conversions for them to all be in one) and let my gals free-range it. To draw them in of the evenings, I usually fill my free-ranging gals feed troughs then - not all the way - there's usually enough for breakfast before I let them out again in the mornings. If their bug catching of the day wasn't so profitable, they'll flock right in and then I close the door. No chasing. No grabbing tail feathers.

When we go to move them to the new coop, we're just going to move them in the evening when they're not as active and then leave them inside for a few days so they get used to it before letting them back out again.

BUT sometime's I do need to catch one up during the day. That's when I toss BOSS out and use a fish net to catch them up...

 

[Desert Rooster]

Ive found that its best to corner them, opening your arms wide while you walk toward them. it always works for me.

 

[silkie_sue]

The only one's I have to....not really catch...lol..are the newly out juvies....the older one's well

They have been trained to know the big red cup holds all sorts of goodies that they may get some of if they come when I call them into the coop.
And the juvies learn very fast.

 

[Malita]

Bribery works - they love snacks. Just plain curiosity works just as well. Sometimes I just go up to the coop and sit on an chair I keep up there. They all wonder "What's Mom doing up there? She might be rearranging things or messing with our stuff - we better go check this out!" In a few minutes I see all 7 of them trailing up the hill to the coop.

Since ours free range in the yard all day (we have an acre lot in a neighborhood with few fences), the girls sometimes wander a bit far. We've trained them to wander back home when we clap. So, if we go outside and the headcount is short or if we really need to get them into the coop, we clap and they show up - in their own slow time - but they come.

 

[birdmomma]

I find that if I need to get my free-rangers in early, that reluctant ones can be herded with my leaf rake - I use it like an extension of my arm and guide her in.

 

[darkmatter]