Training Free Range Chickens

[Kymberlin]

Is there ways to train free range chickens to stay close to home? And to come back home when called? We have 8 acres but coyotes are prevalent and there is a bobcat nearby as well. Their coops and run are well enforced but I’d like them to have some time out of it when possible.

 

[Bmb]

My three buckeyes stay pretty close to home. I’ve only seen them in the road a couple times and they never venture super far into the woods. We’re on 20 acres in northern Wisconsin so there’s many predators around. I have them trained by shaking their big bag of dried meal worms and I’ll toss some in the run then they’ll happily go on in. It took trial and error though because I tried so hard to train them before with a metal bowl and they wanted nothing to do with it! It was just luck that I found out that the red bag of worms is what made them come. Chickens should naturally stick around their home and I bet you could train them to come when called but those predators are so fast that I’m not sure you’d be able to get them in quick enough unfortunately!

 

[Oncoming Storm]

I also have about eight acres of pasture. At first my flock roosted in the trees but through (unfortunately) some trial and error, they learned that the barn is the safest. We also have predators in my area since I live in the woods (coyotes, raccoons, hawks, a freaking black bear). I would feed them where you want them to stay. Don’t feed them anywhere else so they’ll associate that place with food. I have 20+ birds in my flock (I’ve honestly lost count) and they all stick close to the barn and all roost up in the rafters. Also make it comfy where you want them to go. If you just want them out during the day, I wouldn’t worry so much about predators since most pests are nocturnal.

 

[Mrs. K]

The more you let them out, the farther they will roam, and are more apt to catch the attention of a daytime predator. A year old mature rooster can help with daytime predators, not much good with night time coons.

Don't let them out every day, don't let them out on a pattern, and when you do get hit (and the always get your favorite hen) do go into lock down. Coyotes can be pretty sneaky, and quick.

Good luck,
Mrs K

 

[21hens-incharge]

Even in my suburban yard I cannot safely let mine out.
IF I do let mine out I stay right there with them the entire time. No going in to get a glass of water or use the bathroom unless someone else comes out to watch them.

It seems that every time mine are out the hawk is watching, waiting for a slip up. I have literally had to step between the hawk and a chicken it was diving in for.

I use my yellow feed scoop to get mine back in quickly. Always the same scoop always. I bring their treats in it in the mornings to maintain their scoop training.

 

[Kymberlin]

Thankfully I have my own dogs as coyote deterrents and coyotes are generally nocturnal too. So my biggest enemy will likely be hawks for daytime, I wouldn’t dare let them free range at night. Thank you all for your advice.

 

[TSP]

Like @Bmb, we are in far northern Wisconsin and have wolves, coyotes, raccoons, mink, fisher, bears and enough bald eagles to keep the car killed deer carcasses cleaned up on the sides of the road. We have six acres and my flock gets let out to free range whenever I’m around (I’m sitting on my back porch, tapping on my iPad while they wander the back yard behind me). Mine wander, but only very rarely out of sight, and they have always returned before dusk. The added bonuses of doing this are that they eat bugs by the hundreds, so feed cost is less than winter and my dogs have fewer ticks. We have two “bird dogs”, one lab and one lab/golden retriever cross. So far, they have ignored our birds completely, but I did lose some to a neighbor‘s dog in the past. Mine seem most content when they are digging in amongst the horseradish and mint patches that have grown huge over the years.