Is it possible to train chickens to go into a tractor or am I dreaming?

[citymeetscountry]

I usually let them out in the afternoons ... they don't tend to lay at that time of the day but I suppose it's possible they'd need to access their boxes occasionally. I guess I didn't think that one all the way through. Sadly, when we built our coop we were planning to just free range them and not really add too many chickens to the flock, so we didn't plan for adding on. There's a rabbit barn to the left and a shed to the right, a garage directly in front and an oak grove behind. So no room to put the tractor adjacent to the coop, but I could build a "chunnel" (LOL) to a spot that's a little closer, it has shade but it's not irrigated. It would be easy enough to get water out to that spot though.

I admit that my motivation for wanting them in the front yard is because that's where I like to sit for an hour or two in the evenings, and I love to listen to them scratch around and make chicken noises. But I guess that's kinda low on the list of priorities.

Could you just let them forage in the front yard for that 1-2 hours you’re out there? I only have 4 chickens but they usually come running to me whenever they see me, especially if I have anything in my hands that might possibly be food. I do a sort of “hog call” “here chick chick chick chick chick” if I want them to come to me and they usually find me.

 

[CNJ]

Any advice on how to easily get them into the tractor or is this a bit too much like herding cats?

Just starve them and after that they will follow you around........and go where you want them to go.

 

[pennyJo1960]

We carry the Banty to our tractor and do the same at evenings back in the coop.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I trained my chickens to go from their coop on one side of the yard to their run on the other by feeding them in the run. I would open their coop in the morning (after theh were awake and complaining about breakfast) and then carry their food to the run. They followed right along. You are dealing with more space and temptations but I bet if you start with the tractor a little closer and gradually move it away you will have success within a few weeks.

 

[artbykarenehaley]

I trained my chickens to go from their coop on one side of the yard to their run on the other by feeding them in the run. I would open their coop in the morning (after theh were awake and complaining about breakfast) and then carry their food to the run. They followed right along. You are dealing with more space and temptations but I bet if you start with the tractor a little closer and gradually move it away you will have success within a few weeks.

This could work. Baby steps!

 

[Mrs. K]

Move the tractor close to the coop. Have no food in the coo since the night before. Open the coop, and put food in the tractor. At night, just before dark, open coop and run, chickens will return to the coop. After a few days, move the tractor a little farther away. Open up the coop, they may wander a bit, but not much, and then call and put the feed out in the tractor. Most will come, you walk out, and walk around the outside chicks, so that to move away from you the chick moves toward the tractor, and ten to one they will go right in.

After a week or so, I am thinking that you could have the tractor where you want and they will walk right over to it.

Mrs K

 

[GiddyUpGo]

Great ideas, thank you all for posting! I'm going to try some of these tips and post an update to let you all know what worked. Thanks again!

 

[GiddyUpGo]

It’s been almost a year now since I posted this and in case anyone is curious … yes, it is possible to train chickens to go into a tractor!

Our tractor isn’t visible from the coop and it’s about 50 feet away. I started the training process by putting a Judas chicken into to tractor and then herding everyone else in that direction and now when I open the coop they just head straight for the tractor and go in without any prompting. They’re sometimes reluctant to go back to the coop but if I just walk behind them with a short pole it’s usually not a problem. Took a few months to really get them to do it consistently but they do. Just thought I’d update in case anyone wanted to try something similar.

 

[Tired old Rooster]

The point of a chicken tractor, is that it is a coop and run, all in one. I have one I built for three hens. Upstairs is the nest and roost, downstairs is the run.