Free ranging

[tootles]

Have now persuaded husband that hens are a really cunning plan. We have an outhouse, that a neighbour tells me was previously used for geese, which we will keep them in. I want them to be truly free range during the day but in at night. We live by a dirt track (1 or 2 cars a day) and have no fencing. How will I get the hens in at night? I guess that they will get used to the sound of food in the evening (kept in the outhouse) but how do we get them used to the idea? Will they have to be in a run to start with until they get the idea?

(my mother is giving us money for Christmas - 'something nice for the house'. She will spit when she finds out we have used it to set up the hens )

[NSB]

Apparently, we've been told (were due to collect ours in 3 weeks) that they get use to you calling them and they know to come to the house, I'm gonna try it with some mixed corn (chicken sweets) in a tin and shake it, then they know to come in.

I hope to keep them freerange when were in the garden but in a pen otherwise

[Snadger]

When I go to feed mine, clean them out and collect eggs, I half fill the eggbox with mixed corn and rattle it whilst shouting " Here chuck, chuck, here chuck chuck"

They all come running like crazy then I scatter them the corn, block the pop hole off, clean out the shed then collect the eggs.

Most of the guys at the allotments think I'm 'crackers' but I don't care as I probably am!

[tootles]

Fab, thanks. The thing is, how do they learn (and how long does it take?). Can I let them free on day 1 and hope they come back or should they be kept in or in a run for the first few days?

[digthatchick]

Ideally keep them in for a couple of days - they will then know that this is home! I kept mine in their pen for 5 days and when they were let out they stayed close by for a couple of hours - now they roam the lower garden until dusk, then they all go into their pen, have a drink and put themselves to bed in their coop. I go down about half an hour later and close the pop hole and lock the pen. As Snadger says - rattling a tin of corn and "chook chook" always works!!

[MaureenHall]

When I go to feed mine, clean them out and collect eggs, I half fill the eggbox with mixed corn and rattle it whilst shouting " Here chuck, chuck, here chuck chuck"

They all come running like crazy then I scatter them the corn, block the pop hole off, clean out the shed then collect the eggs.

Most of the guys at the allotments think I'm 'crackers' but I don't care as I probably am!

I knew you'd learn chicken before too much longer. Bet you've got the accent as well

[vicky]

I'd keep them in an enclosure till they settle in, but they will soon be so friendly you will find it hard to walk without stepping on a chicken with every footfall - no regard for their own safety!
The only problem you may have is foxes, they don't just come out at night... I'd suggest not clipping wings so they have greater means of escape!

[Noodle]

As previously said, keep them in the coop for a few days, we only did this over night as we have a run for them and then let them out in the garden after about 4 days in the run. They soon get used to it being their safe area. If ours are spooked by something in the graden, they all go running back into the coop!
I use some meal worms to persuade them to go back in, they love them! Not too many though as they are fatty. But now all I have to do is rattle the tub and they come running from all over the garden and aren't at ll worried about going back into the run.
They will ut themselves to bed at night if they have time to get used to the coop first! Enjoy!

[Sunbeam]

Keep them in a pen for a couple of weeks & whistle/call to them when you feed them - they will soon get used to the fact that this is home & will make their own way to bed at night. Mine wander the garden (& the new allotment site until I finally managed to erect chicken proof barriers!) from when I open them up in the morning & always make their own way to bed! If you call them when you feed they will come running every other time you call - a useful trick if you need to catch them for any reason!