Moving - how to handle the coop

[gavada]

We have 4 chickens and a semi-portable coop. We're going to be moving soon to a place with much more land and more of an ability to free range our girls. When we move should we keep the girls locked in their coop for a few days again to ensure they go back to the coop at night or is this not necessary since it'll be the same coop just different land?

 

[SteveBaz]

Even if you move the same coop and assemble it there at the new property they still are not used to the new place or the layout and could get lost. If it were me just to make sure would be doing the discovery process all over once again. A week inside the coop/sleeper then out in the coop and the restricted run area and then free range them. Thats if it were me. I would rather feel like I was punishing them for no reason than to lose one bc I had been lazy. Good luck

 

[Oregon Blues]

The chickens will return to a location. You are changing the location of their coop.

Since the coop is familiar to them, they should adapt quickly. But they will still need to get oriented to the new location.

Perhaps you could fence them in a day run attached to the coop. Then they could be outside during the day, yet confined close to the coop so they get themselves properly oriented.

 

[aggie9296]

I bought 2 older hens along with their tractor and moved them about 50 miles to my house. I kept them in the tractor for 24 hours before letting them free range. (But only on a 1/2 acre) They returned to coop at night with no issues. It did take them a couple of weeks to start laying again after the move. They did not venture very far form coop at first and gradually explored more of the yard as time went on.

 

[AlienChick]

We recently moved to a new State and had to build a new coop.

When I brought my chickens over, I kept them locked up inside the coop for the whole day/night and let them out in the morning to free range.

They never had a problem.