Re: Training free ranging chickens

Ginny wrote:
Jacob Johnston wrote:
How did you get your birds trained to get back into the pen? Leave them in

the pen for a few weeks to get them to associate it with home? Only feed them in the pen at the time you'll be putting them in the pen for the day?


I leave mine in the pen for a couple of weeks, then let them out late in the afternoon the first few days. After that I let them out in the morning when I'm home, not at all if I'm going out or leaving before their bed time. My old hens would come running when I called but my new hens don't yet.


Get them to associate food with the pen and with a call. Rattle wheat in a tin as you call "Here chook chook chook" then scatter the wheat in their pen and they'll soon associate going to the pen with getting food. Don't ever feed them anywhere except in the pen.

A L P
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