new way to get chickens into the coop

[hugho]

my daughter had an idea to get our sometimes recalcitrant chickens into the coop. she noticed the flock which includes peacocks head for the coop when a bald eagle flew low over the farm shrieking. So she downloaded a youtube video of an eagle crying and she played it to the chickens at bed time last nite. amazing! I almost died laughing. They were in the coop in seconds! try it!

 

[Chickery Chick]

Hummm, I suppose if it works and your ok with that, but personally I don't want my chickens stressed out and scared.
If I need to coop my chicken in the afternoon for some reason due to company coming or what not, I just start shredding a dried head of sweet corn in their closed in run. I make sure it makes a lot of noise as the kernels hit things on the way down. They all come running, then I close the door. No need to scare them. I think other fresh vegetables would work too, but the corn has small pieces flying all over so they all know they can get a kernel and bossy hens can't guard all of it with it everywhere. They love raw sweat corn too, but they only get that when it is available. We dry out the sweet corn that got too old to eat and save it for the rest of the year for just this purpose.

 

[Den in Penn]

A predator drill for chickens. As if they need it. lol Just don't over do it.

 

[chfite]

I call mine and toss out some sunflower seeds. Don't be standing in the way!

Chris

 

[hugho]

I should mention we live in predator central wyoming with a pen that looks like Gitmo with 1/4" steel mesh, buried mesh and steel roof and net! We have bears, coyotes,foxes, wolves and cats as well as eagles, hawks and owls and over the years have lost dogs, cats geese, ducks guineas peacocks as well as chickens and even pigs.. We have daily overflights of eagles and hawks and the survivors survive because of their vigilance. Our ever alert peacock shrieks at the first sign of a predator and it is a multi day occurrence. They are free range in the day when we are outside and I am pursuaded that their frequent predator drills keep them alive. They are certainly more feral and wild than the chickens that were killed. Our flock is a survival of the fittest and if your flock doesn't run for cover at the first hint of a predator, they are vulnerable. I guess those of you who have minimal predators are truly blessed.

 

[redmoo]

We've only had our hens 6 weeks and we kept them in their tractor coop the first several weeks. (there's a grassy area at the bottom they can run around in) I hated keeping them cooped up, but my husband insisted they needed to get used to their new home. Now, they go to their coop on their own right before dark if I don't get out there to shoosh them in. It's no problem getting them in; just head them that way.

 

[Chickery Chick]

I highly recommend that you get a Great Pyrenees
http://www.nationalpyr.org/

These dogs have an amazing natural instinct to protect other animals on the property, especially fowl.
Years ago when I lived in a very remote Iowa farm, one of the neighbors a couple of miles away had hundreds of peacocks on his place. The coyotes and foxes, let alone a neighboring stray dog(s) were everywhere. I asked him how he was able to keep the peacocks from getting killed. He points to his Great Pyrenees, and said the dog circled the farm all day and all night protecting the peacocks. Said he never lost a 1. I was impressed. Years later I came across another farm in Nebraska, where there are bob cats, coyotes, foxes, etc. that had a large amount of free range fowl of just about every kind, plus lambs and goats. They said they never had a problem loosing a single one of their farm animals due to predators with their 2 great Pyrenees.

Then my brother gets a mix great Pyrenees adult and he was housed at are farm for several years when my brother was was job changing. This dog would literally eat out of the pan with them, and the chicken hovered around him like he was their mother. So I'd even recommend a mix if you can't find a pure-blood. So long as the mix is not a herding dog or aggressive. If you can't handle the long hair, just get his hair cut down from head to to 2 times a year. He must me an outdoors dog pretty much most of the time to be effective, in fact, he'd prefer it.

The downfall of a Great Pyrenees is if they don't have a flock to protect they will wonder off. This is in their blood, and is their sole purpose for existing...to protect a flock. If they feel no purpose they'll leave.
http://www.nationalpyr.org/

If I were in your situation, I'd be getting a great Pyrenees or a mix ASAP. Trust me, you'll love em. From what I've witnessed, with my brother's dog an adult would be fine with the fowl even if they had not been exposed prior.

 

[captcayanan]

Man, and I thought raccoons were an issue! Your chickens are lucky to have the peacocks as lookouts.

 

[redmoo]

I highly recommend that you get a Great Pyrenees
http://www.nationalpyr.org/

These dogs have an amazing natural instinct to protect other animals on the property, especially fowl.
Years ago when I lived in a very remote Iowa farm, one of the neighbors a couple of miles away had hundreds of peacocks on his place. The coyotes and foxes, let alone a neighboring stray dog(s) were everywhere. I asked him how he was able to keep the peacocks from getting killed. He points to his Great Pyrenees, and said the dog circled the farm all day and all night protecting the peacocks. Said he never lost a 1. I was impressed. Years later I came across another farm in Nebraska, where there are bob cats, coyotes, foxes, etc. that had a large amount of free range fowl of just about every kind, plus lambs and goats. They said they never had a problem loosing a single one of their farm animals due to predators with their 2 great Pyrenees.

Then my brother gets a mix great Pyrenees adult and he was housed at are farm for several years when my brother was was job changing. This dog would literally eat out of the pan with them, and the chicken hovered around him like he was their mother. So I'd even recommend a mix if you can't find a pure-blood. So long as the mix is not a herding dog or aggressive. If you can't handle the long hair, just get his hair cut down from head to to 2 times a year. He must me an outdoors dog pretty much most of the time to be effective, in fact, he'd prefer it.

The downfall of a Great Pyrenees is if they don't have a flock to protect they will wonder off. This is in their blood, and is their sole purpose for existing...to protect a flock. If they feel no purpose they'll leave.
http://www.nationalpyr.org/

If I were in your situation, I'd be getting a great Pyrenees or a mix ASAP. Trust me, you'll love em. From what I've witnessed, with my brother's dog an adult would be fine with the fowl even if they had not been exposed prior.

I know nothing about this breed. Do you know how they are with cattle?

 

[Chickery Chick]

Very good with cattle lamas, horses, children. They are very gentle, but if anyone messes with their pack(which is everything on the property) they will protect ferociously.
Read this thread.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100516123524AA5P7VK
Will even protect against hawks and eagles.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/home...ardian-dogs-great-pyrenees.aspx#axzz2bbm0mOze
Yes very good with cows. pretty much every kind of livestock or farm animal.

If you have bears, or huge predators and a lot of them, you may want to get two Pyrenees.