Switching to free range. Can I still lock them up at night?

Shayanna · #1 08/24/12, 02:01 PM

I have 7 6-month-old hens, a 6 month rooster, two ducks, and now 14 4-year-old barred rocks. They have a coop, and then are out in the run (a 10 x 16 pen). Because the pen is not covered, at night either they go into the coop automatically or we herd them back in and lock it up. We have a cat(feral) problem in our neighborhood but that problem only arises at night. Now that we just adopted 14 new hens, I don't want to keep them penned up because that is going to get real expensive in the feed department. They have unlimited layer crumbles in their coop, but we throw corn out in the day. I figure if I let them free range, We won't go through the corn as quickly. Are these chickens going to be smart enough to go back to the coop? I know the ducks will, but am I going to have to "herd" them every night or will they go back in so I can just lock it up? Should I expect losses? I mean we have "taken care" of the majority of the cat problems, but I'm sure there is atleast one or two running around out there still at night.

Danaus29 · #2 08/24/12, 02:06 PM

You're free ranging your birds, not setting out an overnight buffet for freeloading varmints.

Yes, pen them up at night. Locked down tight and secure so they can free range again tomorrow.

Ceilismom · #3 08/24/12, 02:24 PM

The new chickens may require some training before they get the idea. The established flock should know to go to the coop at night. I would probably keep the new birds contained in the pen until you're sure they'll go in without a chicken round-up. I find that being able to turn on the lights in the coop helps if I discover any stragglers when I go out to lock up.

About the ducks: my ducks will only go into the coop at night if the pond is either frozen or dry. I doubt that will be a problem for you, but I thought I'd throw it out there for anyone who might have a pond and be considering free-ranging ducks.

Shayanna · #4 08/24/12, 02:46 PM

We originally thought our ducks would be pond ducks, till we tossed them out into the pond an acre away. They beat us back to the coop.

Cliff · #5 08/24/12, 02:50 PM

The new birds need to be locked up for 2 or 3 weeks so they get used to roosting in your chicken house. Then they should all come home at night to be locked in.

Danaus29 · #6 08/24/12, 02:57 PM

And having read the op completely; you will need to keep them penned for a week or two so the new birds will learn where "home" is now.

Do you still have grass or green weeds growing anywhere? If so give them some fresh cut greens every day. That will help with the feed bill quite a bit.

CNCfamily · #7 08/24/12, 05:22 PM

My chickens started roosting in my trees and now it doesn't matter how long i keep them cooped up, I still get at least 7-8 up in the trees at night, but the rest will go back to the coop on their own.

Mulegirl · #8 08/24/12, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danaus29

And having read the op completely; you will need to keep them penned for a week or two so the new birds will learn where "home" is now.

Do you still have grass or green weeds growing anywhere? If so give them some fresh cut greens every day. That will help with the feed bill quite a bit.

We haven't finished building our chicken run yet, and this is what I do for my girls (20 weeks) and the babies (5 weeks)--the big girls love it, and the babies all pile up against the wall of their enclosure whining at me until I drop their greens in . . .

Have you considered making some portable tractor sort of pens? That might be a way to get around the problem. Otherwise, just make sure everyone knows where "home" and tasty food (crumbles and corn) are, and they'll return at night.

Real Hawkeye · #9 08/25/12, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shayanna

I have 7 6-month-old hens, a 6 month rooster, two ducks, and now 14 4-year-old barred rocks. They have a coop, and then are out in the run (a 10 x 16 pen). Because the pen is not covered, at night either they go into the coop automatically or we herd them back in and lock it up. We have a cat(feral) problem in our neighborhood but that problem only arises at night. Now that we just adopted 14 new hens, I don't want to keep them penned up because that is going to get real expensive in the feed department. They have unlimited layer crumbles in their coop, but we throw corn out in the day. I figure if I let them free range, We won't go through the corn as quickly. Are these chickens going to be smart enough to go back to the coop? I know the ducks will, but am I going to have to "herd" them every night or will they go back in so I can just lock it up? Should I expect losses? I mean we have "taken care" of the majority of the cat problems, but I'm sure there is atleast one or two running around out there still at night.

If they're already accustomed to roosting inside, they will want to go back to roost in the same place (I'm assuming you have proper roosting perches in there for them). If one or two don't choose to roost inside, it may be because they go back in when it's too dark for them to see the roosting perches and then go back outside to find a perch. This can be resolved by placing a motion sensing night light inside. When a chicken enters, it will turn on long enough for them to find the roost, then turn off. I had two hens that didn't roost on their own till I did this, and now they always roost in the hen house on their own.

motdaugrnds · #10 08/26/12, 09:51 AM

Fowl are creatures of habit like most animals/fowls. Keep them locked up 24/7 for a few weeks, let them out "late" evening so they only have about half an hour to eat before roosting, extend that time after awhile until they get the full day and return to their house at night. It is all a matter of training. (Our guineas were the hardest to train because they are simply more wild than chickens; however, even they roost in the chicken house at night. Albeit they have a roost in the "pen" part up high under the chicken house overhang they prefer. Still they are locked up.)

Marilyn · #11 08/26/12, 10:36 PM

A fellow HTer described her routine: When she turns the chickens out, she takes their feeder in to her house. In the evening, she walks out with the feeder in hand and all of the chickens nearly race her to the coop!

Shayanna · #12 08/27/12, 09:38 AM

So far things are going good. They all round themselves up just after it gets dark. And the food bill is already going down. Three down some corn yesterday and they didn't touch it. Also, they cleaned up underneath my rabbit hutches for me. The rabbits always drop about half of their whole oats and the oats had started to grow, and the chickens were on it like flies on stink. They managed to eat all of the growing oats and scratch the poo enough to where it isn't a heaping pile, and they eliminated the flies around the rabbits problem. I am so proud.

Haven · #13 08/27/12, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shayanna

So far things are going good. They all round themselves up just after it gets dark. And the food bill is already going down. Three down some corn yesterday and they didn't touch it. Also, they cleaned up underneath my rabbit hutches for me. The rabbits always drop about half of their whole oats and the oats had started to grow, and the chickens were on it like flies on stink. They managed to eat all of the growing oats and scratch the poo enough to where it isn't a heaping pile, and they eliminated the flies around the rabbits problem. I am so proud.

Mine love scratching through the rabbit poop. They eat all the wasted rabbit food and keep the poop well turned so flies dont hatch. Only prob is that I had to lean some plywood across the bottom fronts of the pens cause the chickens kept flinging all the rabbit poop out from under the pens onto where I walk.