Free Ranging Problems

[Chicken03]

I like to free range my 14 hen at least a couple hours a day. Usually they stay within about 100 yards of the coop. Sometimes they would stray farther but stayed close most of the time. Now almost every time I let them out they start to walk across my small field to the property line. Its really a pain to round them up all the the time. Any ideas on how to keep them closer? I want to be able to let them out without having to gather them up all the time. Thanks for any help.

 

[popcornpuppy]

When you let them out, sprinkle some food or treats near the coop to keep them close. Treats work well to get their interest.
If it doesn't work, you may have to put up a fence.

Or, you could put up a temporary fence to let them know where they can and cannot go. Once they get to know the bounderies, then take the fence down. I use cheap plastic garden fence from Walmart, about $10 for 25 feet.

 

[Chicken03]

I use treats to get them back, but most of the time they stay until the corn is gone they start the other way again. And the border they like to cross in about 400ft long.

 

[popcornpuppy]

Is there something special at the property boundry? Are they going that way to look for a shady spot, or an area that has bushes or rocks for them to search for food?
If you can figure out what the appeal is at the edge of your yard then maybe you can create something with similar appeal within the bounderies of the yard.
For example: If it's a bush that provides shade or has alot of bugs for them to hunt, give them a shady spot closer to the coop. If they are looking for bugs, put a couple of rocks in the yard and turn them over every couple of days to display all of the bugs that have hidden under the rocks.

 

[darkmatter]

Quote:
Fence-----sooner or later you'll be posting on the predator thread otherwise.

 

[cmom]

Maybe you will need to fence in an area for them. I fenced in my birds because they were getting in my gardens and scratching and eating my newly planted plants and tearing up and spreading out my mulch piles. It was either fence in the gardens or the chickens. The chickens lost.

 

[NatalieB]

I free range my birds in the evening. I let them out about 4pm (have a fenced area for during the daytime). I found they tended to go further away when they were out all day and I worried alot. So they get the best of both worlds. Also I don't have to "round them up" all the time, they just put themselves to bed about 7:30pm and I just count them and close the door!

 

[elmo]

You could train them to come to you when you want to put them back in their coop. We've started doing this with our two months old chicks. We feed them mealworms from a paper cup so they've come to associate that cup with goodies.

When I want them to come back to their run, I stand in the doorway and tap on the paper cup. As soon as I get the attention of one of the birds, she'll come flying to the doorway and the rest will soon follow.

 

[cmom]

I agree with the above post. The best way to a chickens heart is through it's stomach.

 

[valreegrl]

We free-range also, however the area is fenced.

But, once it begins to get dark, they put themselves to bed.

There have been times where I need to get them early though, so I have found that if I get the attention of the head hen and lure her in, the others follow. Usually, I just throw treats along the route I want her to take.