Training Your Chickens to Return to the Coop

If you’re a chicken owner, you’ve likely had to spend at least a few nights tracking down each of your chickens before you go to bed. This is hardly how you want to spend your evening, which is why many chicken owners opt for training their chickens to return to the coop on their own. While this won’t be easy, it is possible by following the steps below:

Make it routine

Chickens are creatures of habit, so if you encourage them to return to their coop while they’re still young, they’ll continue doing so once they’re older. When you first get your chickens, keep them in the coop for several days so that they know this coop is their home. Then, start letting them out at the same time every morning and then close the coop up at the same time every night.

Use food

Nothing encourages a chicken more than food. Place some feed or treats inside the coop in the early evening every day and then ring a dinner bell (or use your voice) to let your chickens know that food is available. Eventually, they’ll associate the dinner bell with food and come running at just the sound of it.

Make the coop their home

Keeping your chickens inside the coop for several days is only effective if the coop truly feels like home to them. In other words, it needs to be safe and comfortable enough for them to want to return to it. Clean the coop often and provide perches and nesting boxes for your chickens to relax in. You should also ensure that the coop is warm enough in the wintertime and cool enough in the summertime for them to stay comfy.

Here at Chickens for Backyards, we want to make sure every chicken is kept happy and healthy. So, if you have further questions on how to care for your flock, give us a call at 888-412-6715 today.