Free range - a little too fre

[Tracyree]

Our coop is about 100 yards away from the house. I have an auto door that let's the girls out and locks them up. They free range. Very free. Free to poop on the back porch. Free to poop on the sidewalk against the house....

I'm considering putting up some fence to discourage them from coming up to the house. Thought the coop was far enough that they wouldn't.

Any other options to keep them around a certain area beyond a full out fence? I sure don't like the idea of mowing around a fence.

 

[Odelia]

Motion sensor sprinkler.

 

[Tracyree]

Really? My husband just suggested that and I shot him down thinking they wouldn't really learn to avoid it and get sprayed constantly. Would it have to be set up all the time or would they learn? Be a lot easier!

 

[Odelia]

Chickens are smarter and more trainable then you are giving them credit for. Would it always have to be on? No they would learn. Though if you simply got rid of it they would also learn in the future that it was safe again to hang out at the back of your house. So when you don't care if it is wet out back leave it on to help reinforce the behavior you want. On the up side this should help keep other unwanted guests out of your back yard as well.

 

[centrarchid]

Provide microhabitat with combination of cover, food and water away from where you do not want them. My concern is generally to keep them on property so I have centrally located weed / bramble patches where feeder and water is placed. When birds are not eating then they loiter in the cover. Having a dust by helps. More than one cover patch is even better. If pressured by predator then they may avoid a given location so take that into consideration.

 

[Quailsong]

Provide microhabitat with combination of cover, food and water away from where you do not want them. My concern is generally to keep them on property so I have centrally located weed / bramble patches where feeder and water is placed. When birds are not eating then they loiter in the cover. Having a dust by helps. More than one cover patch is even better. If pressured by predator then they may avoid a given location so take that into consideration.

As centrachid say, microhabitats are preferable. You need to think like a chicken. Where's the best spot? Why on your porch! It's warm, nearby the food(human servers), and the protectors (again humans). If you can replicate that elsewhere in your yard then they're more likely to go there. Make a dust bath area you want them to use. Food, water & cover in a nice hideout area, etc.

I would recommend against the motion sprinkler unless you want to do it for the entirety of their lives & also don't mind getting sprayed yourself. Because they will figure out when you turn it off it's safe to come up to the deck. You may get one or a few hopping over to sunbathe/poop while you're busy in the coop...

 

[Odelia]

Provide microhabitat with combination of cover, food and water away from where you do not want them. My concern is generally to keep them on property so I have centrally located weed / bramble patches where feeder and water is placed. When birds are not eating then they loiter in the cover. Having a dust by helps. More than one cover patch is even better. If pressured by predator then they may avoid a given location so take that into consideration.

I agree that making the area you want them in as appealing as possible will also help.