Chickens invading the house.. help.

[jak2002003]

My chickens keep trying to get into our house.

They are free range, but spend most of the time hanging out on the porch up against the window staring in at us. If a door is opened or a window, they will rush into the house.

They have a large garden to roam in, sand areas and grass, shrubs and trees, and their own chicken house, but they just want to get into our house.

My partner is really getting annoyed with them as when they hang out on by the door they like to poop there!

I have no idea why they want to get in. We never feed them in the house, and each time they get in we chase them out and try to frighten them, but this in not putting them off.

Thank for any suggestions...

 

[sunflour]

Mine are confined, so I have no experience with anything like this.....but could it be their free range area is not so interesting? And they are hoping to be first for feeding time or treat time?

 

[besorto]

I used to have the same problem with some of my hens. I got mine to stay outside by adding more birds to the flock. They could just be bored. Giving them treats outside could never hurt either.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Give treats where you want them to spend their time.
Do not respond to them being on the porch by bringing treats out. It teaches them to come to the porch for handouts.

How big is the area they are ranging in? Try to make it more interesting. Put a bale of straw or hay for them to tear up, a head of cabbage on a rope hanging from a tree etc.

 

[speckledhen]

This gave me a chuckle this morning. They want to be around you. Mine did the same thing when their coop was closer to the house and still, the older ones who remember prowling the wraparound porch will end up here if I let them out of the big barn pen. I did not feed them up here, either, it wasn't not about that, apparently. Doesn't matter that they have acres to roam, they want to come be around us. I don't mind, really. I just let the stuff dry and sweep it off if I find any up here. I've had ten or more roaming all around the house, seeing what they could see, and rarely found much to remove. I've just learned not to sweat the small stuff.

Hope you can find a workable solution. At one time, we put a gate with a rolling wheel and hasp across the steps, more to keep our dogs on the porch than the chickens out (they could slip under if they wanted to do so), and that helped quite a bit, but that was the only access to our above ground deck.

 

[speckledhen]

Invaders! I'd give anything to have that big boy back roaming my decks again. We sure miss him. He was a treasure, but passed of old age in 2015. By the way, these birds are on the back side of the house--they had to roam all the way to the opposite side to be in this picture, so they made the full round that day.The only way to keep them out is the fence them out, really.

 

[N F C]

I've never had this experience so following along out of interest.

@speckledhen love your pictures!

 

[sunflour]

I've never had this experience so following along out of interest.

@speckledhen love your pictures!

X2 - I actually would love to let mine roam and come knocking at the door

 

[N F C]

X2 - I actually would love to let mine roam and come knocking at the door

Lol, me too! Just think of the cat's reaction to a chicken face suddenly appearing in a window.

 

[sunflour]

Lol, me too! Just think of the cat's reaction to a chicken face suddenly appearing in a window.

A neighbor's cat "helps" us during chicken feeding/coop cleaning times - he is never allowed inside the coop/run - but the chickens find him interesting to watch