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    Home » Animal and Land » Chickens

    How to get free range chickens to come in at night!

    Published: Oct 8, 2015 · Modified: Feb 26, 2018 by Melissa Griffiths · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

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    How I get my free range chickens to come in at night by themselves every time. All I have to do is close the coop door. So easy!

    A black chicken with reddish feathers around its neck stands on dry, rocky ground near some small green plants and purple flowers, watching for other chickens to come in at night.

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    I made a quick video of how I get my chickens to come in at night and I explain how I taught them to do it. {Umm...this is my first video ever so, ya know. It's really, really good.}

    YouTube video

    In the video I use the term "chase." Perhaps a better term would have been herd. Although herding chickens is a lot like herding cats. Ha!

    I forgot to mention we actually found the easiest way to get them in the new coop was to wait until they were roosting in the old coop for the night and pick them up and move them to the new coop. When it is dark out they can't see anything and literally won't even move when you go to grab them.

    The most effective way I have found to transition chickens from one coop to a new coop {i.e. you built a new coop or you got a new chicken} and have them associate it as "home" is to leave them locked in the coop for a few days to a week. They will figure out a sleeping and laying system and a pecking order.  This ensures a few things: {1} where home is and {2} that they will stick together. They also realize where the food is and that is one fool-proof way to ensure any animal keeps coming back.

    If you've wanted to try your hand at keeping chickens but don't know where to start, check out my free email course!

    Pin this farm tip on your Chicken Keeping board to SAVE it for later! Follow Longbourn Farm on Pinterest for more great tips, ideas, and tutorials!

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    Welcome!

    Melissa Griffiths and her husband live on a 12-acre hobby farm in southern Utah with their five incredible children, turkeys, chickens, rabbits, puppies, and fledgling cut flower patch.

    She also enjoys home improvement projects, experimenting in the garden, and collecting colorful eggs from her chickens.
    Read More…

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    FTC Disclosure of Material Connection: The way I provide you with free content is through affiliate links and some of the links in the post above may be affiliate links, they will be marked in the post. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to YOU. Read terms here.

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