Ideas for Catching My Free Spirits

[Flawedatdesign]

Okay as a few or many know I have 1 roo and 3 hens running loose. Had the 2 hens caught but they found a way out of the fence.
all 4 are running together but I can't figure out how to catch em.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Chickens usually come back to the coop at night to roost, if they've been sleeping in the coop for at least a week.

If you need to get them back to the coop or run before dark, it's always easier to lure them in with food bribes than it is to catch them. Don't chase them. Talk soothingly to them and move slowly around them. Find something delicious they can't resist and toss a bit their way. You don't want them to get full, you are only giving them a taste of what you have. Back off and let them eat it. Move in the direction you want them to go and toss a tiny bit more. Keep going until they stop following you and toss a bit more.

You can also try a large net, like those used for netting koi in ponds or large fish when fishing.

Some people have good luck herding them from behind and driving them in the direction they want to go. You need to go farther away from them and get around behind them first, then start to move in the direction you want them to go.

There's also a tool for catching chickens that I've never used. It's a long pole with a little hook at the end, for snagging a leg. The long hook is big enough to go around the leg, but too small for the foot to fit through, so it holds onto the foot, until you can grab them.

If they're new to the coop and go to roost out in the yard, you can usually get them then, if you haven't been able to catch them earlier.

I train mine to come to me for snacks, using the same snack container each time. They recognize it and will come right over. They'll also come when I call. Really, once they get the hang of it, they'll look up in the yard any time they hear the door open. It's really easy to put them away any time. You might want to work on doing that at some point, just in case you need to catch them some other time.

 

[Flawedatdesign]

Well I can't seem to find where they are roosting. Guess they got wise to me going to the barn. I have feed spread out everywhere and they are not eating it. I'm not able to get up to catch where the rooster starts crowing thinking he starts about 5am I think someone mentioned in another post to hunt the roost down that way.