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

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!

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.}

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!

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