Does anyone else herd their chickens?

[Roosterinthecity]

I have to clap my hands and say “Let’s go” a few times. Of course I have to get behind them. Then the pug acts like a cattle dog and “thinks” she’s helping.

 

[chicken mama 0908]

herd my flock? Ha! They don't listen to me. Only treats will control them.

 

[ChickyMudder]

I let my chickens and ducks out 3 - 4x per week to free range. They are usually let out late morning until just before dusk. Their ranging territory is about 2 - 3 acres around my house, pond, barn, and part of the pasture area. When it's time to go back in their chicken yard, they aren't always ready to call it a day... I used to walk around clapping my hands as the "signal" that it's time to go back to the coop area. About 2 years ago, I started herding them with my 4 wheeler instead... Now when it's dusk and they hear the 4 wheeler start up, they automatically start heading for the chicken yard... I inevitability get that one maverick on occasion who decides to go rogue and I need to go chase them down to remind them who's boss.

Curious to know who else herds their flock and how you do i

I’ve never done that. All the flocks I’ve owned for the past 40 years have always went to the coop at dark. Once in a great while I find a frantic one that jumped the fence and can’t get back in. I help them over and they run to bed.

 

[RedwoodCoastChick]

i herd my ducks with pool noodles lol

Another proponent of the pool noodle method! I never would have thought of that...

 

[Liz Birdlover]

I use treats in good weather / more casual situations. If things are tense and I'm expecting a predator, a broom doubles as both a shoo-stick and a herding tool. I'm often around the property waving it at passing hawks and shrieking angry "crow" sounds... (I reeeeeally should have given the neighbors some Christmas treats now that I think about it...)

I do crow calls too...yes, my neighbors or passerbys probably think, "there goes that crazy bird lady again"

 

[Liz Birdlover]

When I used to free range, before we moved to a high traffic hawk and eagle area, I would “herd” them in when they wouldn’t come in. Usually it was bad timing (like just got out of the shower, flipflops, pj pants, towel head, and chasing birds around with a stick)

You just reminded me of the 1 time all of my pigeons were out flying & hanging out in my backyard on a very warm summer day. This is before I had chickens, in my 20s, when I lived in a neighborhood, only had a quarter acre then. I had just gotten a shower after some sweaty garden weeding. I got out of the shower, & still wearing my towel, & glanced out the back slider, to see all of my pigeons frantically evading a dive bombing hawk! Yeah, I ran out there, waving a broom & yelling "Get outta here!" chasing the hawk off. Then I scooped up some sweet, wide-eyed, young pigeons, trembling & cowering under a shrub & carried them to the loft. I called to the adult pigeons zooming around in flight, to "Come on in, come on in" & they flew right in to safety. Only after the hawk was gone & all pigeons were safe inside their loft, did it occur to me, I was only wearing a towel. The towel I had wrapped around my wet hair like a turban had fallen off long ago, somewhere in the yard...I'm lucky I didn't lose the body towel . The neighbors never did say a word about it, not to my face anyway. Lol

 

[Liz Birdlover]

There are many hawks & resident foxes that seem to love my place...go figure right? Anyway, very rarely do my chickens wander far from me, as I only let them free range when I am outside, too. They usually follow me around, since usually I'm walking, carrying, moving, pruning or digging up something, and they wanna know exactly what I'm doing, to inspect my progress and/or peck at it. They only venture out further, pecking around with their roosters close by, if I happen to sit down a bit at the fire pit, or I am on the mower. If I need to gather them fast, or get them into the coop, if there is an approaching storm, I just call them & they come running. I have little gazebos set up with perches, so often some will take a shade nap. If they do not want to go in, I can just walk up to the gazebo & tap on the metal with a snow stick, then point with the snow stick to the coop & actually wherever I point the snow stick at, they'll jump off their perch & head in that direction. I often feel like an air traffic controller with the snow stick. I have several around the yard, placed at young trees or shrubs, so they do not accidentally get driven or mowed over, and I use them at each coop chicken door, they keep the wind from blowing the doors shut, so there are plenty of snow sticks. Only with the youngsters do I sometimes run into a situation where they may run under a shrub, as they don't know the routine yet. The solution to that, is just shake the mealworm bag, or Hentastic treat bag, or any bag. No chicken can resist the bag sound...they wanna know what is in that bag & assume it must be for them.
At dusk, they usually put themselves to bed. If anyone is slow & I need them in faster, I just say "Come on, time to go nighty night" & they will go right in.

 

[Bonnieboo]

My girls always put themselves to bed. I think it is instinct to seek cover once night approaches as they are truly prey animals. I just have an alarm set on my phone for just on dusk so check they've gone in and 99% of the time they're tucked away. Occasionally there is one wandering around in the small yard attached to their house so I just usher them in and lock the door. Safe and sound

 

[Bonnieboo]

There are many hawks & resident foxes that seem to love my place...go figure right? Anyway, very rarely do my chickens wander far from me, as I only let them free range when I am outside, too. They usually follow me around, since usually I'm walking, carrying, moving, pruning or digging up something, and they wanna know exactly what I'm doing, to inspect my progress and/or peck at it. They only venture out further, pecking around with their roosters close by, if I happen to sit down a bit at the fire pit, or I am on the mower. If I need to gather them fast, or get them into the coop, if there is an approaching storm, I just call them & they come running. I have little gazebos set up with perches, so often some will take a shade nap. If they do not want to go in, I can just walk up to the gazebo & tap on the metal with a snow stick, then point with the snow stick to the coop & actually wherever I point the snow stick at, they'll jump off their perch & head in that direction. I often feel like an air traffic controller with the snow stick. I have several around the yard, placed at young trees or shrubs, so they do not accidentally get driven or mowed over, and I use them at each coop chicken door, they keep the wind from blowing the doors shut, so there are plenty of snow sticks. Only with the youngsters do I sometimes run into a situation where they may run under a shrub, as they don't know the routine yet. The solution to that, is just shake the mealworm bag, or Hentastic treat bag, or any bag. No chicken can resist the bag sound...they wanna know what is in that bag & assume it must be for them.
At dusk, they usually put themselves to bed. If anyone is slow & I need them in faster, I just say "Come on, time to go nighty night" & they will go right in.

I just had to say, I so love your profile video!!!

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Our chickens go in by themselves when the light is low enough. I used to go to all kinds of effort to get them in earlier, guiding them, chasing them, bribing them. Now I just relax and watch over them. The lowest in the pecking order will be forced to stay out later, sometimes 20 minutes after everyone else is in.. I don’t have to catch them and force them in, tho I used to. I just relax and let it be. They always go in.

Same. As long as I'm outside and have eyes on them, they can take their sweet time going to roost. And then i back away quickly before the roost time drama starts. If i need them
to relocate while free ranging, (to avoid danger), i get behind them and stretch my arms out wide and say come come come girls, they know what I mean when they see my arms stretched. They all make their way to the run/henhouse. I have done this daily for about 3 years.