Free range DISASTER

[jeb251]

here is a trick that works like a charm, get a plastic cup like a fountain pop cup, put some food in it and shake it while you are giving the some of the food or a special treat. do this for a while, every time you get the chance and soon they will follow you any where, you can also leave the cup out and use a call of some kind, mine come to " come on chickens"

 

[mrbstephens]

When mine were young I'd walk behind then carrying my son's soccer goal and sort of pushed them in the right direction. Or I'd have to corner them with it and then pick them up one by one to return them to the coop. One of those big fishing nets works wonders for catching a chicken! Once inside the coop I'd throw them a handful of scratch. After a while they'd get used to the scratch as a reward and eventually they'd start following me every time I walked out in the yard hoping for a treat. I also developed a whistle call that they eventually recognized and would come running when they heard it. I'd whistle and walk over to the coop and toss in some scratch. They all come running behind me and go right in the coop now. Good luck!

 

[saltiboys]

Leghorns are total spastic chickens! I only have one and she is the queen of spastic. They might not be used to you. Maybe you can spend some time around them before you let them out of the coop. Once you let them out, you might need to leave them alone to make their way back. Trust me, they will get back to the coop, but maybe not with you standing there. Mine are free ranging now and they are four weeks. They only go about 4 feet from the coop and when they hear a noise, they run back in.

 

[chickee]

I can only let my chickens free range if I am outside with them. We have a bob cat that comes during the day and even went through 3 strands of hotwire on top of the fence and got my only rooster! I feed my chickens oats as a treat and all I have to do is call chick, chick, chick and throw oats in the pen and everyone comes running back in! In fact, all I have to do now is walk into the pen and they all come running begging for oats! I have 4 months chicks that are new to going out and I usually have to chase them back in. I figure that eventually they will learn to come for food too.

 

[SunnyDayz]

I hope they are used to me, I feed them by hand every day... just reach in and give them treats and pick a few up everyday to get them used to me.
I shake their feed bucket and 'call' to them everyday too...

I see the idea of them going in at dusk is reasonable, but I am SO worried that they won't, or all of them won't and I DO not want to be out there after dark chasing chickens!
Herding them in was a huge PITA. They wanted to go in, I could tell. A few were already in and the ones that were out went up to the side and tried to get in through the hardware cloth.
Should I paint the doorway red?? Someone suggested that and it sounded strange, but what could it hurt?
Is it possible that they didn't recognize how to get back in??

Ugh... I have this vision of sitting in a lawn chair, sipping iced tea while watching my happy chickens scratch around... lol. Not envisioning me running around like mad screaming at them to get in or get eaten by coons, lol.

 

[SunnyDayz]

*double post*
sorry...

 

[justmeandtheflock]

My brown leghorn is the worst! She is the 1st one to get out when I try to get in and she is impossible to catch. The rest just squat so I can pick them up of I need to. With her I need a second person to operate the gate while I chase her in to keep the others from getting out. They are almost a year old now and know to come if I call for treats but she is always one of the last ones to get in. It is musch easier to get them all back in now that it was when they were smaller. I think they calm down a bit once they start laying. Good luck

 

[justmeandtheflock]

My brown leghorn is the worst! She is the 1st one to get out when I try to get in and she is impossible to catch. The rest just squat so I can pick them up of I need to. With her I need a second person to operate the gate while I chase her in to keep the others from getting out. They are almost a year old now and know to come if I call for treats but she is always one of the last ones to get in. It is musch easier to get them all back in now that it was when they were smaller. I think they calm down a bit once they start laying. Good luck

 

[SunnyDayz]

Thanks for all of the replies! I'll be sure to update next time we let them out...

 

[Beekissed]

I wouldn't leave 6 wk. old chickens to free range by themselves while you are gone unless you have a great LGD or other protection for them at hand. Even older birds....they have no protection from predators without a good dog in your range.

They will go back into the roosts if this is where they are used to roosting at night....it is instinct and you can count on it. I've heard of some folks having birds that roost in the trees but most birds like the security of that coop at night.