Will they come home to roost???

[Lisa202]

They've been in the coop since November, but never out of the enclosed run. I'm sure it'll probably take a while for them to venture out of the run into the scary backyard once I open the door to them, but there are a couple who really seem to want some freedom. They fly a lot in the run, so I worry that they will fly over the fence. I have an acre with a 6' fence all around, but if one of them flies over the fence during the day and then gets all excited b/c she's separated from the rest, I can just see the chaos that would create.

I guess I'll get used to it the more I let them out. The first times are always the scariest.

 

[Pinky]

Usually their first time out, the chickens will be so busy eating and finding bugs they don't worry about much of anything else. Throw some treats in a leaf pile before you let them out. That'll keep them occupied for a while.

 

[Peck Johnson]

Yes they will come back. USUALLY. If they find another comfortable spot elsewhere they will hunker down there. Feed them before dusk at the coop and they will get the idea though.

Sometimes we find stragglers under the porch or in one of the dog houses.

 

[hallerlake]

Quote:
I call them with treats and lure them back to the coop if I want them to go in early for some reason.

 

[jasonm11]

A chicken wakes up in a new world everyday. If they do not return at night, pick them up and put them back in the coop and keep doing this. It might take a few times and then they will get it.

 

[FluffyPolarBear]

Here is a good article about it, also this article doesn't include a problem that I had which was that the roost is too thick/wide so they can't wrap their feet around it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chickens-coming-home-to-roost