Will chickens return after rehome

[phryan]

Will chickens try to find their way home after rehoming? I would like to try letting the girls go broody and raise some young this summer. In order to keep our flock about the same size some of the 1 year old hens and pullets would need to find a new home. Fortunately I have family in close proximity, worried that they are too close and the chickens may try to return home. The first sister lives about a half mile away, has an existing flock and could use some replacements. Second sister is about a mile away, would be a new flock. Rural area, chickens free range.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Half a mile should be more than far enough away for your average chicken not to know where it is ... I could see a problem if the ranges of the two flocks would overlap, then you probably would never be able to keep them separate. If not, otherwise you want to confine birds in the coop at their new home for a while anyhow, so they get used to it and consider it home and don't just take off. Same with an existing flock, it is going to take you a couple of weeks to combine the flocks anyhow, by the time they are ready to integrate the new birds should already consider the new place home.