Chicken Roost and Nest box on backyard with no coop

[chaunghian]

Hello everyone, this is my first post, I am new and very excited about my new chickens.

My dad and I built a coop for 2 of our chickens, but then we decided to set them free in our backyard and not to use the coop anymore.
Every night, the chicken fly up and sleep on the windows edge of my kitchen even though we use a stick to make a place for them to sleep on.
My question is how do we tell them to sleep at one place. They like to sleep at the kitchen window, is it because there was light in the room?

Should we built a nest box for them? If we do, are they going to use it? She is very young, i don't know when she is going to lay her first egg. I want small chicks running around.

Please give me some advices, this is my first time trying to raise chickens. Also, should I clip their wing feathers, so they don't fly over my neighbor or the school right behind us? if we do, they won't be able to fly up so high to the roost place which very high.

Thank You
An

 

[bills]

Welcome to the forum.

I might suggest that they roost on your window ledge as this may be the only secure spot for them. Predators would make short work of them if they have no secure coop to sleep in.
Personally I would train them to the coop. They can wander around your yard during the day just fine, but they should have a coop they can head to as it starts to get dark. The coop should have a roosting board, and you should lock it soon after they head in for the night. If you don't do this, I'm afraid you may not have your chickens for long..

Generally chickens will not fly away on you, although they may decide the neighbors place looks more inviting if you don't keep feed and water handy for them...

 

[chaunghian]

Quote:
Hi Bills, Thanks for your quick response.
The old coop I had is just like a cage with plastic net wrap around, with a stick across so they can stand and sleep on. I will make it become their sleeping place and put a nest box in there.
Do you think I should put the food and drinks in side the coop or I should leave it outside for them to eat and drink in the day time?
For some reason, The chickens are very shy or scare, they always run away from people, I was thinking if that would be a problem when telling them to go in the coop to sleep.

Thanks a lot

 

[chkn]

Grab them at night, they're easy to catch then. Why don't you post a picture of your coop so we can see what you are talking about. They need something better than a cage though. It needs to have a roof and protection from the wind and predators.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
I agree, don't train them to the cage; they may be safer on the window ledge anyway, as coons can usually kill through cage sides. When you get a proper place for them to sleep, get them in with treats each night til they learn where to go. Meanwhile, give them a little bit of treat every day to get them used to you. You can give them most anything you eat, or pick up a bag of black oil sunflower seeds (BOSS.) If they don't go for the BOSS right away, mix it with something wet, a slice of bread moistened with milk, for example, and they will quickly learn how good BOSS is. Table and veggie scraps (no potato peels) and leftovers are fine for treats. Look over the treats chart:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart