- May 9, 2014
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If you've read other articles I have written, you will know I am not as experienced as most.
But if there is ONE THING I know about keeping chickens, it is how to put them away.
A lot of people have partially free range chickens. Meaning they let them out some times during the day. Chickens put themselves to bed easy peasy, but when it is still daytime it might be a problem.
Here are some ways to get them back inside their pen
Excursion
Chickens eat a lot of food, so a smaller feeder needs to be refilled every day, this can come in handy.
After a while, your chickens (and quails as well) will distinguish certain words (my chickens understand 'breakfast' 'lunch' and 'dinner'), and colours, (green and white for my chooks) that mean food. Use this to an advantage.
When your chooks need to be put away for any reason, wait until then to refill their feeder, seeing te feeder, they will follow you to where you keep te food, fill up te feeder and walk back slowly, so the chickens can keep up. Hopefully, they will have followed you back
Sometimes this will work most of the way, but hey will lose interest along the way, if this happens, use my next method.
Conga Line
If the chicken has stopped following you, put the feeder back, go behind the stray chicken, place your hands under her wings and guide her back, this is mainly stress free so no worries.
"Hansel and Gretel" method
This uses up a lot of food, so you have been warned
Basically, make trail of food back to the pen and hope for the best (I tried this once and got in a lot of trouble)
Try not to use these methods
They can cause stress or harm to your precious birds.
Chase the chickens
What the title says
The broom and pot trick
If the chickens are in a bush on a hill, go behind the bush and roll the flower pot down to get the chickens out, otherwise, use the broom to herd them back
Phez out.
Let me know how these go.
But if there is ONE THING I know about keeping chickens, it is how to put them away.
A lot of people have partially free range chickens. Meaning they let them out some times during the day. Chickens put themselves to bed easy peasy, but when it is still daytime it might be a problem.
Here are some ways to get them back inside their pen
Excursion
Chickens eat a lot of food, so a smaller feeder needs to be refilled every day, this can come in handy.
After a while, your chickens (and quails as well) will distinguish certain words (my chickens understand 'breakfast' 'lunch' and 'dinner'), and colours, (green and white for my chooks) that mean food. Use this to an advantage.
When your chooks need to be put away for any reason, wait until then to refill their feeder, seeing te feeder, they will follow you to where you keep te food, fill up te feeder and walk back slowly, so the chickens can keep up. Hopefully, they will have followed you back
Sometimes this will work most of the way, but hey will lose interest along the way, if this happens, use my next method.
Conga Line
If the chicken has stopped following you, put the feeder back, go behind the stray chicken, place your hands under her wings and guide her back, this is mainly stress free so no worries.
"Hansel and Gretel" method
This uses up a lot of food, so you have been warned
Basically, make trail of food back to the pen and hope for the best (I tried this once and got in a lot of trouble)
Try not to use these methods
They can cause stress or harm to your precious birds.
Chase the chickens
What the title says
The broom and pot trick
If the chickens are in a bush on a hill, go behind the bush and roll the flower pot down to get the chickens out, otherwise, use the broom to herd them back
Phez out.
Let me know how these go.
