New chickens- How do I get them back in the coop without scaring the fluff out of them?!?!?

[Jim19053]

Totally new at this so I am looking for advice. Got my coop together and picked up 6 (18) week old RIR pullets yesterday. They are beautiful! Put them in their coop when I arrived home and all is well. When I open the side door they run to the other side- I expected this. I put some food in and patiently watched. One finally came over and ate, then another, then the rest. Making progress. Same thing this morning and they did it much faster. Gaining some trust. This afternoon I let them out and they walked around the yard- picked at stuff in the grass. They came close to me, but not to close. They seemed to gain some trust and not watch my every move and went about their business as I did some yard work. Fed them some more. Tried some berries and some corn. They were not interested in either- just wanted the feed. After a good 3 hours of them having the run of the yard it was time to get them back into the coop. I tried to lure them in. No go. Tried to herd them in- no go. After about an hour of trying to do this without upsetting them (My girlfriend was highly entertained) I gave up. I just chased them down, grabbed them and put them back in the coop. I probably undid any trust I gained from them. Tomorrow is another day. What should I do differently? Thanks for any and all input.

Jim in PA

 

[sourland]

If the coop is large enough, keep them locked in there for a week or so. I might also suggest building an attached pen to gradually acclimate them to going in and out of the coop. A pen is always a good idea as it will be needed when the predators arrive. Good luck, and enjoy your birds.

 

[Jim19053]

I am still learning the terminology- I should clear up what I wrote. My coop and pen is combined. There is a 5ft coop and a 10 foot run/pen. I was trying to get them into the run part. I am sure they would have eventually went up the ladder into the coop after I shut the access door. They wanted nothing to do with getting back in there after they were roaming the yard. Will leaving them in there for a week establish in their little chicken brains that the coop is their home? Just wondering what people do when they let their chickens free-range and they want them to return to the coop/pen. It does not seem as easy as whistling for my dog!

Thanks,
Jim

 

[sourland]

It's surely not as easy as whistling to a well trained dog! The longer they are in the coop/pen the more likely they are to consider it 'home'. They will also gradually become less fearful of you - unless that is you continue to run them down. Perhaps your girlfriend could share a video?

They will always be somewhat reluctant to enter the pen prior to dusk - think of kids being called inside for supper on a sunny summer evening. A wire baffle attached to the pen may be of assistance in trying to 'herd' them inside. It will be a learning process for them and you. Enjoy, and good luck.

 

[ll]

Keeping them in the enclosure for a week will teach them where the roosts are at the end of the day.
If they stay on the floor instead of using the roosts, lift them up each night onto the roosts until they understand.
When we let ours out in the beginning, we would round them up and in with a long beach towel -one corner in each hand spread wide.
A long rectangle of chicken wire would do well for cornering/guiding them too.
I've taught my hens a "treat call". I cluck my tongue/cheeks loudly several times and say "Treeeeat!" That gets them running from wherever they are. Always have a treat ready... no "crying wolf". I used cheerios, oats, blueberries, cherry tomatoes, black oil sunflower seeds, meal worms, etc.

 

[ll]

Quote:
They will always be somewhat reluctant to enter the pen prior to dusk - think of kids being called inside for supper on a sunny summer evening.

^ This is true. Try to let them out an hour or two before dark if you are time restricted with their freeranging; mine always go in automatically before it gets dark ~usually quite a bit before dusk.

 

[snooptwomey]

I kept them inside it for a few days with out letting them out to get them used to it

 

[maidenwolfx80]

I also have a treat call, when I get my turkeys running everybody runs lol

It does take time , but once they trust you they will be easier to get back in when you need them to. I use something special that they dont get very often they love love love meal worms so I keep these they get them once a day with my treat call a simple " here turk turk turk turkeys" lol yea alot of thought went into that

My husband says it sounds like I am calling pigs cause it gets high pitched at the end.. anyway it works and they run/fly at me ready for mealworms if I drop a trail of yummy mealworms they will follow into the coop were I shut the door and give them a handful and go about my day.

 

[CarolJ]

Here's a link to an article that addresses your questions. There is a section at the end of this article about how to get the chickens to return to the coop/pen.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/deciding-to-free-range-your-flock

 

[Jim19053]

Great article Carol- Thanks! Looks like they will be confined to their new home for a while before I let them out to free range again. I'll let you all know how it works out next weekend.

Thanks again for everyones input. BYC is a great site.

Jim