HELP!! How do I get my free range rooster to come back to his coop??

[Apopson]

A friend gave me a rooster. The rooster has a nice size coop with nice roosting decks. For the first few weeks he's been really good to peck around the yard free and come sun down, go back in the coop and roost. Now, he's not coming back to the coop and roosting at night in the tree in my neighbors yard. When he comes out of the tree in the morning, he pecks and scratches in their yard and eats the cat food. Luckily, the neighbor is my brother-in-law and they're okay with it, but, I do have neighbors on the other sides of them and me who will not like the rooster if he trounces into their yards. How do I get him to stay in my yard? How do I get him to come back to the coop at night? Is there something I can put in the grass (other than building a fence) that will set a boundary?

And, I'm thinking of getting a hen. Will this be a problem with her as well?

Thanks for any help you can give me. I REALLY need to get him back to his coop at night!!!!!

 

[PunkinPeep]

I haven't had this specific problem before, but i think i would try retraining him to his coop by penning him in for 24 hours or more - just to re-establish with him where home really is - not the neighbor's tree.

Chickens are not very good at respecting property lines, so if your neighbors are close, and your chickens like to wander, you might consider giving them a big run for during the day and then just let them out to free range for a couple of hours in the evening - right before dusk.

I have just three pullets right now, and they free range from morning to night, but none of my neighbors are visible, and they stay pretty close to home. It just depends a lot on the personality of your flock and your birds.

 

[Barbara9642]

I would think if he had a hen he would come home. My rooster stays pretty close to his girls. I have been known to wait for nightfall to catch an errant chicken, once they roost for the night they are easier to catch and then put him in the coop for a few days.

 

[mom2chicksandpups]

He might come back in for some treats or to be with the hens. It's nearly impossible to keep him out of the neighbor's yard, though. A fence helps some, but he might eventually learn to fly over it. If you want to keep him out of the neighbor's yard, maybe you could just build him a large fenced run that he can go out in.

 

[Rosetylerr]

I know this thread is old. But We used chicken sounds to get our rooster back when he wanders too far, and he comes a running!