- Thread starter
- #29
I picked mine up!!. From day one!! They are pets!! I name mine!! Mine sleep, on me!! They sit on me!! They make each other jealous
I am jealous!
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
I picked mine up!!. From day one!! They are pets!! I name mine!! Mine sleep, on me!! They sit on me!! They make each other jealous
That'll do it. Not being the "bad guy" whilst interacting with them will go a long way towards currying favour with your birds.
I do not put them to bed early now that they're free ranging. Waiting to feed them works to some extent, but I found I always had a few uninterested stragglers that had filled up on grass and bugs.
I can attest to that, though I think I've gotten pretty good at telling when one is about to jet off in a different direction.
I do "herd" mine each afternoon, walking behind them and waving a pooper scooper to direct them where to go, but I'm curious as to how many chickens becomes too many to manage in such a way.
I would not recommend it. The risk of them being eaten is high. Automated pop doors are available if you don't want to put them in early but can't be there by dusk.If on the rare occasion I'm not home to shut the run and/or pop door until after dark, will they be ok? Or is it best to put them up early (against their inclination)? I'm thinking ahead to spring and more free-ranging time...
Yes, they still have a tendency to bunch together in a way chickens absolutely do not. They've still got circular pressure zones, too. I don't have an issue with my flying ducks.Are ducks who can fly still easy to direct?
Are ducks who can fly still easy to direct?
If on the rare occasion I'm not home to shut the run and/or pop door until after dark, will they be ok? Or is it best to put them up early (against their inclination)? I'm thinking ahead to spring and more free-ranging time...
Would you have any suggestions to get them in from free-ranging midday without force? Did you just wait to feed them, and put the food in the coop? I believe that is how my problem started: I would capture my chicken (from free ranging) before he was ready and he started learning to avoid me at any close proximity. If I had only known of a way to make him go more willingly it would have helped!
If on the rare occasion I'm not home to shut the run and/or pop door until after dark, will they be ok? Or is it best to put them up early (against their inclination)? I'm thinking ahead to spring and more free-ranging time...
Yikes! Makes me shudder to think about that happening!It's also possible for a predator to get into the coop before that automatic door closes, locking the chickens in with death...
Yes! Common sense certainy does dictate to only let them free on days I will be home all day. Fortunately, we did build a run, and it is as well fortified as hours of internet research could provide. Hardware wire attached with washers and screws, pavers, hardware wire on ground, stakes, etc. Thanks for all of the super insightful info on behavior! My neighbor has ducks and it's interesting that they follow around her turkey, and the chickens seem to have their own separate clique. Perhaps due to the differing flocking patterns you mentioned!This is also one of the reasons my chickens are confined to a run. If you are going out for the evening and leaving maybe just a little while before they go to bed I would say put them up before you go out