moving at some point, how to deal with my chickens?

[wowmanacat]

We are in the process of buying a house and I need advice on how to deal with my chickens. The place that we are looking at has a small garden shed that I will be able to use as a coop short term, but there is no run area. I will be letting them free range since there is 26 acres, but the question is how long would I have to keep them in the coop so that they will go back into the coop at night? If I move them at night will they know to go back there the next night? As I said the shed is on the small size for 18 chickens but it is all that I will have for a few days.
I know that keeping my chickens in to small of a place is not to nice but I have to do what I have to do. I don't like having to do this to my chickens but money may not be there to buy or build something the size that is needed right away. All the money that we have saved will be going into the purchase of the house.

As for moving them that is not a problem since the place is only 10 to 15 miles away. That is if we get the place.
Thank you for the help

 

[bobbi-j]

Three to five days works for me. If, when you let them out, they don't go back in at night, you'll have to move them back in and leave them for a few more days. Leave their food and water in there, and I've read that having a light on for a bit after dark helps lure them in. Hopefully this shed has windows for light and fresh air?

 

[wowmanacat]

I think that it does, I am going to look at the house here in little bit with my husband for he has not seen it yet. I will take some pictures of the shed an post them only once I know for sure that we are going to be getting it. It is going to be a few weeks yet before we are sure what is going to happen. Any help or ideas will be helpful.

 

[wowmanacat]

We are back on the hunt for another house for the one that we were trying for did not work. I am still going to have to move all my chickens, and toddler chicks and the baby chicks or what every I have when we move.

 

[Oregon Blues]

I wouldn't keep them closed in. I would put up a small fenced run so they would have to stay near the coop and they would be easy to herd back in.

The run can be temporary, or permanent so they can be more closely confined if you run into a predator issue.

 

[wowmanacat]

At this point I really don't know when we are going to be moving. I just have to figure how to move lots of chickens when I do.