How to Recall Free Range Chickens

[Mariannebee]

When we are home, we give our chickens free range of the yard. However, when we leave, we want to put them back in their enclosure. Right now, it takes 2 of us... one to herd them towards the coop and one to stand by the door and make sure they go in (and don't take a new direction). Anyone have tricks for getting them all to run back into the enclosure when you are 1 person?

 

[NatJ]

I have found wet mash to be helpful (chicken food + water in a dish.)

The chickens usually consider it a treat, after they try it a few times.

That means I can hold the dish and call, then walk into the run and sit the dish down, and the chickens will run in to eat it. Or put the dish in the run and then call.

The first birds are busy eating while the stragglers are coming in, rather than running back out the door.

You might get a similar effect by sprinkling scratch.

Speaking from experience, don't try to lure the chickens with anything they can carry around, like a bread crust. The first chicken will grab the bread crust and run back out with all the others following. That's why a dish of mash works so well, because they have to stay there to eat it and cannot carry it somewhere else.

Other ideas:
Herd the chickens into a group, collecting them all up, and then send them into the run together. That way you don't need someone else standing at the door.

Or make an extra pen just outside the run door, with a door on this pen as well. To go in normally, you open both doors as you walk through the outer pen and into the run. (Similar to an airlock or arctic entry or mudroom.) To put chickens back, have the run door closed, and herd the chickens into the pen. Then close the pen, open the door into the run, and put those chickens in the run. Close the run, open the outer door of the pen, and go herd some more chickens into the pen. Because it's just used for putting chickens back, this outer pen does not have to be predator proof, it just needs to keep chickens in for a short time, which may make it cheaper & easier to build.

When we are home, we give our chickens free range of the yard. However, when we leave, we want to put them back in their enclosure.

If you know in advance that you will be leaving, sometimes it may be easier to keep the chickens in and not let them out to range. (Example: leave in an hour, do not let chickens out. Leave in 6 hours, probably do let them out for a while.)

Of course that does not work if something comes up unexpectedly.

 

[tlcmurphy]

I have found wet mash to be helpful (chicken food + water in a dish.)

The chickens usually consider it a treat, after they try it a few times.

That means I can hold the dish and call, then walk into the run and sit the dish down, and the chickens will run in to eat it. Or put the dish in the run and then call.

The first birds are busy eating while the stragglers are coming in, rather than running back out the door.

You might get a similar effect by sprinkling scratch.

Speaking from experience, don't try to lure the chickens with anything they can carry around, like a bread crust. The first chicken will grab the bread crust and run back out with all the others following. That's why a dish of mash works so well, because they have to stay there to eat it and cannot carry it somewhere else.

Other ideas:
Herd the chickens into a group, collecting them all up, and then send them into the run together. That way you don't need someone else standing at the door.

Or make an extra pen just outside the run door, with a door on this pen as well. To go in normally, you open both doors as you walk through the outer pen and into the run. (Similar to an airlock or arctic entry or mudroom.) To put chickens back, have the run door closed, and herd the chickens into the pen. Then close the pen, open the door into the run, and put those chickens in the run. Close the run, open the outer door of the pen, and go herd some more chickens into the pen. Because it's just used for putting chickens back, this outer pen does not have to be predator proof, it just needs to keep chickens in for a short time, which may make it cheaper & easier to build.


If you know in advance that you will be leaving, sometimes it may be easier to keep the chickens in and not let them out to range. (Example: leave in an hour, do not let chickens out. Leave in 6 hours, probably do let them out for a while.)

Of course that does not work if something comes up unexpectedly.

Great ideas, especially regarding things the can carry
I sprinkle mealworms or scratch in their run as I’m calling them. Wet Nash would work great too, they go bonkers for that!

 

[NetherLeeFarm]

I start training mine from the moment they're 'coop ready' to come running when I shake the mealworm container (a plastic cereal container), but I'm sure training could be done at any age.

They know when I grab it and shake it (I also call "chiiiikens!" while I shake it but I doubt this is necessary lol) that the goodies are about to fall, and they come running. I shake a handful of mealworms into their permanent run and then close the pop door to the pasture while they're gobbling down the treats.

Works every single time.

 

[nuthatched]

Ladies, ladies, ladies!
Chick-chick-chick-chick
*cue the noise of a mini stampede and the whir of the lighter ones flying*

 

[Mrs. K]

Those are good ideas above. You can also gather a flock with a long stick. This is a case where slow is fast.

Put a very scant treat at the door, and bigger pile much farther in. Take your stick that you can tap the ground. Walk out past the main bunch of chickens. Spread both arms, tap the ground and call 'hut, hut'. Now what you want is for the chickens to move away from you towards the gate. Not a dead run, just a couple of steps. Then they will stop and peck, at that time, you again take a step or two, tap and call just until they again move away from you towards the gate.

Now if on gets by you, leave her. Just keep working on the main bunch, again slow and steady - only moving when they stop, stoping when they start to move toward the gate.

Eventually one will see the treat, they will rush in to get that, and then you can walk back out, and get behind the stragglers or escapees, repeating. The others will find the bigger pile, and the straggles will go right in.

This will let you round of up chickens without a rodeo, without your birds getting hysterical and frightened.

Mrs K

 

[atomic]

You’ve had some good advice, I’ve found I must be the treat master/chicken trainer because mine won’t leave me alone. Seriously they are worse than the dogs. I nearly trip over them any time I go outside and they try to follow me into the house, sometimes successfully.

Mine love cold grapes, and the canned crickets. I got them to where they only get crickets when I call “chick chiiiicks!” Which when heard from anywhere, they come running/flying clucking crazy.

 

[Anon112]

I have a few different containers (plastic and metal) that make a very satisfying sound when I shake blueberries or scratch.

I've also gotten pretty good at impersonating that very distinct "Oh my god, look at this" cluck that chickens make. Shaking the can and making that noise gets them moving in my direction.

Sometimes when they are being stubborn I have a rake that I use as an extended "arm". I walk slowly toward them, using the rake to keep them in the same "zone".

I agree with the poster above that if you can get the majority inside, the rest will usually follow.

 

[Appalachickens]

I've been struggling with this, since they are indifferent to meal worms. I spent a ridiculous amount of time chasing one of the warier ones yesterday. Even their favorite, grapes, didn't convince them to go inside. They do love wet mash, which I usually give them in the mornings. Maybe I'll switch to giving them that at the end of free-ranging.

 

[NetherLeeFarm]

Those are good ideas above. You can also gather a flock with a long stick. This is a case where slow is fast.

Put a very scant treat at the door, and bigger pile much farther in. Take your stick that you can tap the ground. Walk out past the main bunch of chickens. Spread both arms, tap the ground and call 'hut, hut'. Now what you want is for the chickens to move away from you towards the gate. Not a dead run, just a couple of steps. Then they will stop and peck, at that time, you again take a step or two, tap and call just until they again move away from you towards the gate.

Now if on gets by you, leave her. Just keep working on the main bunch, again slow and steady - only moving when they stop, stoping when they start to move toward the gate.

Eventually one will see the treat, they will rush in to get that, and then you can walk back out, and get behind the stragglers or escapees, repeating. The others will find the bigger pile, and the straggles will go right in.

This will let you round of up chickens without a rodeo, without your birds getting hysterical and frightened.

Mrs K

I also employ the long stick tactic. Husband makes them (we call them chicken sticks) from sapling cherry canes on our property. I usually only bring it out when I have an errant goofball who for the life of her can't find the coop door. And I confess, even with the stick it sometimes turns into a chase-around-the-coop game with her overshooting the coop door and here we go 'round the coop again!