Moving chickens from coop to run daily?????? HELP!!

[DebB11]

Has to be a better way...

I am getting POO'd in the process daily because I am carrying them.... some of them have been let out before on a trial run but that didn't go so well.... it's hard to catch a chicken..lol

There is no way to pull my pvc run to the perm one either...... not with all the trees.... it's too tight.

Any suggestions?

 

[kemclaughlin]

Perhaps get a dog crate and load them all up into it? Maybe even bribe them into it with some treats?

 

[Mrs. K]

Get a long handle, a light weight broom or sorting stick with a flag or a paddle. Chickens are pretty habitual so this will get easier. Anyway let them out, walk over shaking your red treat can with a bit of scratch in it and throw it on the floor of the pen you want them in. Then circle around the flock with your stick, now many people think fast is the way to go here, but trust me, a being slow now will be faster in the long run.

Stand with the chickens between you and the gate you want them to go through. Stand there not moving just with your arms and stick out to the side so that no chicken gets behind you, but really one or two chickens behind you won't matter if the majority are ahead of you. As you stand there move slowly close enough so that, the chickens will naturally move away from you a bit toward the chicken house, slowly take a step so as not to frighten them but to put pressure on them to move again closer toward the gate. Tap the ground, saying "hut, hut" taking slow steps toward the gate as you move your presence will make the chickens just enough uncomfortable that they will move closer and closer to the gate, just keep moving keeping your arm stretched to the side tapping the ground near any stray chicken not headed in the right direction, but all chickens headed in the right direction do nothing to rush them.

The idea is you want the chickens to walk into the pen, once the first few walk in and find the treats the stragglers will come running, and if you make sure there is enough treats, that will keep them there, if you have to go back and get a straggler.

Mine know when I pick up the stick they are headed back into the run, and with in a very few moment I can get them all to walk right in. IF you RUSH this and they start to panic, they will scatter.

MrsK

 

[darin367]

if you have food--- bread crumbs, scratch, fruit, veggies, left overs from last nights dinner etc, put them in some type of can.. everytime you go to move them, rattle, tap, bang on that can.... after about 3 days them guys will run to the spot that the can gets emptied..... we let ours into a 1 acre non fenced yard to free range. when it's time to put them away my wife walks toward the coop tapping on her metal can with treats.... all 15 of them run for the coop/run,,, run right thru the gate....

 

[sabianshepherds]

I send the dog for them, he get's a "put them away command," and he pushed them towards the coop.

 

[taprock]

How far do you have to go and how many chickens?

 

[DebB11]

6 chickens and not far.... just depends on where I move the run to. Probably the farthest would be 100 feet...

I don't mind carrying them but I don't wanna stress them out because they don't seem to like being carried too much...