For those of you who raise your own chickens, and for those of you who may just be starting off on this "flighty" adventure, I am here to offer a few words of advise...stuff I have gleaned from my humble, novice beginnings, to my current bumbling expertise. We live in an area where we can "free-range" our chickens...they get the run of the place. You ought to see our eggs...beautiful, bright orange yolks, and ever so tasty! But having chickens run all over the place can have its drawbacks, ie: it's pretty important to NOT leave doors leading to your house, barn, feed room, etc. open. Chickens seem to instinctively know that an open door is an open invitation to come on in and make themselves at home. I have, unfortunately, found little "gifts" or "momentos" of their kind visits in places rather unsuspecting! Not pleasant! It is also important to keep the garden gate closed, too, that is if you don't want them to help themselves to a premature salad bar or the little seeds you so meticulously just planted. I have found, at times, they can be rather helpful in the garden...chasing those pesky grasshoppers, or showing them a colony of unwanted ants...presto! Talk about pest control! It is not unusual to have a chicken stand right next to you, or even jump on the end of the shovel, when working the soil nice and deep...worms! They love worms...but so do I, so this isn't always a symbiotic relationship. Well, enough said. Anyway...we also live in an area where it is imperative to "put up" the chickens inside there pen for the night...at our place it is called the "chicken palace". So, how do we get all those cluckers in for the night? Simple, and I hope these tips will help you out as well.
1. Never ever feed your flock outside the chicken house or the enclosed chicken pen. "Home is where the chow is!"; and if you follow this simple principle, your chickens will know where to head when the sun starts going down. Also, train your chickens before you ever let them roam by "calling" them and feeding them in the chicken yard for at least a week or so in order for them to get used to what the "prize" will be for good chicken behavior!
2. Be consistent as to when you call your chickens in...we let our chickens out to roam around 10-11 o'clock a.m. and "call" them in around 5-6 p.m. We do this also for the chicken's protection...more predators are likely before and after the prescribed time limits.
3. Have a familiar "call"...my daughter and high just make a high-pitched yell..."chickens in" and away they come, running at top speed. We also "call" them in with a special treat...good ole table scraps, etc...(I wish my husband was so easily charmed!) But remember, no table scraps until safely inside the chicken pen!
Trust me, this system works! How well? At one time we had over 100 chickens on our place...you can read about how we acquired over 70 of them in my post on "Roosters Crowing, etc." Anyway, 72 white roosters were housed in the "turkey townhouse" while the rest of our brood still resided in the chicken palace. Two nice hen/turkey houses approximately 25 yards apart. When it was time to call in the birds, we gave the famous call, and I kid you not, the white birds went to their home and the rest went to their own home...it looked like the parting of the Red Sea...and was in itself, sort of a miracle. So, good luck when you ring that dinner bell...and get out of the way...hey, I just figured out why the chicken crossed the road....
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