Will my hens catch on to my trick to get them into the run at night?

[Kernel Cluck]

I am going on about 3 months of letting the hens out of the fenced area for a period of time to free range. To get them back in, I use the scratch grain in a can trick. They are all just turning one year old. Will they eventually figure me out and stop following me because they don't want to go back in? I hope not but I don't want to over use the trick if they will catch on.

 

[kannna]

No they will not. I shake the can with some BOS in it every morning to get them in the run before I go to work.

They huddle around the back door at the same time each morning and wait for me to come out and go in the basement to get the can. They then follow me and wait at the top of the basement stairs waiting for me to come up with the can and then they follow me to the run.

 

[Kernel Cluck]

So they will just keep repeating the same behavior?

These are the reasons I love chickens. The same goofy behaviors.

 

[kannna]

Yep. Everyday. Once in a while I throw in a real treat just to keep things exciting for them. As long as they see you as the treat giver, they will follow you anywhere really.

 

[Kernel Cluck]

Thanks for the advice. I will just keep on doing it as long as it works...

 

[LeadHead]

Ours just go into the coop automatically every evening at dusk. We have a light on a timer which comes on at 2am then shuts back off after the sun is up, so we feed/water them at night when shutting them up so that they have food when the light comes on and they get an early start laying each day. They're done laying by late morning, so around 11am or noon we let them out to range. They're outside the rest of the day until they return to the coop in the evening, and so the cycle continues. I think the key to getting them to return on their own is not letting them range at too early of an age; rather, keep them penned up until they start laying THEN allow them to free range. It works for us, anyway.