Do I have to look like a fool chasing chickens around the yard??So I let my birds out to free range today while I was outside doing yard work. But when I was done and wanted to go in the weren't ready. Can they be trained to go back to the coop when I tell them too?? Or anything I can do?? sorry didn't mean to double post...
Mine only return to the coop at dust when they are ready to go to the roost, unless the rooster spots something and rounds the girls up and gets them inside. The best time to let them out is a few hours before they roost. Then, they will go back by themselves.
That's about it. They'll go back in, all by themselves, when it starts to get dark. I let mine out everyday, as early as I can get down to the coop. I keep weird hours, so that's not always in the morning, but sometimes it's at first light. They stay out all day, going in and out of the coop as they please, to eat or lay eggs, and they go in to roost at dusk. No chicken chasing here, I just wait them out!
But chasing chickens is so much FUN! You could try tossing treats in the coop/run, but that only works sometimes for some of the chickens. I do like everybody else and just let them come in on their own at dusk. Erika
I let my chickens out sporadically during the day, so I've had to find a way to get them back in. A handful of scratch always does it. I toss it in the coop while making my "here's food" call and they come running. Every time you give them treats, even when not trying to get them in the coop, you should make the same call so they know to always come to it. I even make the call when I'm simply refilling their regular food. Food is the answer to every training question when it comes to chickens, I've found.
Mine come when they see the snack baggie of hulled sunflower seeds! They follow me right back to the run for some. Even if I need to lock them up in the middle of the day for some reason. You can pick any snack they really like and any container they can learn to recognize. They'll get the hang of it and follow you back to the run.
You can train them to come when you call. Mine will come running, wings flapping, like (pun intended) chickens with their heads cut off. Now, that doesnt mean they will always come INSIDE the pen, or that they will all come, but it almost always works. Even the ones I have only had for a week are already getting it figured out. Heres what you do. Call them the same way every time you feed them. I say, "Chiiiiiiiick Chick chick chick!!" Kind like "kitty-kitty-kitty" But, heres the twist, NEVER call them unless you have something to feed them. I always bring out some scraps for them when I call them, cause thats their favorite treat. But if you penned them up everytme you call them, they may figure that one out pretty quick too. Mine are funny though, they come running if we just open the door. It scares people!
For my girls, it's cottage cheese. I would not recommend this if you have a coop that is hard to clean. When I bring them a treat to coax them into place, I use two dishes and clank them against each other. For them, it means a treat and they come running. Another lure I have found is running water. I can turn it on gently and the splatter on the ground is a calling card.
I don't mind chasing chickens around the yard. I use a 4' - 1"x2" as an extension to my right arm to direct them where I'd like them to go. It doesn't always work, but if I can get a few to go where I want, the others usually follow. And yes, treats help! And yes, I look like a buffoon.
