Moving Chickens from Coop to a portable run, best way?

[Sunnysidedown]

Hi there,
We have 5 hens (3-4 months old) and so far they love their new permanent coop and attached run area just fine. I'm in the process now of building a portable run (16' x 4') made of pvc pipes and chicken wire, this will be moved around the garden for the chickens as the crops wind down. The new run is perfect to cover spent rows of asst veggies so the chicks can forage on the leftovers and bugs.

My question is how to best transfer the chickens from their main "home" to the portable run? Picking them up one at a time seems a bit challenging and I don't want to freak them out trying to gather them up each time. How do you guys do it? Is there an easy way? What I'm considering to do is to build a cage big enough to contain all 5 hens. This cage could be attached to an opening to their main run where the chicks could be scooted into it, then tranferred to the portable run. Sound reasonable? Any other ideas or chick transferring methods you use are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[6of6chicks]

In for the replies.

I'm struggling with this myself. I built a tractor for them (no free range, too many hawks) and they LOVE it. I can get them to follow me from the run TO the tractor by bribing them with treats, but I have the hardest time getting them OUT of the tractor and back to their run!

 

[iwiw60]

How about a chicken tunnel??

 

[centrarchid]

If movement were to be one-way, then place birds in box at night and carry them over.


If movement to be two-way then two options worth considering. I routinely imprint my brooder reared birds on a box so they sleep in it. Then move it morning and evening while dark between locations which gets to be work. Other option is to train birds to follow you for treats between locations. This more involved initially but major labor saver later. I do such with broodcocks when moving them between pens of hens they are rotated between every day.

 

[6of6chicks]

If movement were to be one-way, then place birds in box at night and carry them over.


If movement to be two-way then two options worth considering. I routinely imprint my brooder reared birds on a box so they sleep in it. Then move it morning and evening while dark between locations which gets to be work. Other option is to train birds to follow you for treats between locations. This more involved initially but major labor saver later. I do such with broodcocks when moving them between pens of hens they are rotated between every day.

This is what I've been trying but I'm not having much luck with it. I can lure four of them out (usually), but two generally hang back and won't come out of the tractor. Do you think maybe they are scared? (That JUST occurred to me!) They're only 7 1/2 weeks old. Maybe I just haven't been at it long enough and they'll get more trusting as they get older?

Or maybe my treats aren't tasty enough? So far I've been using fresh corn because they go bonkers over it. Is there something better or more appealing that they can't resist?

 

[centrarchid]

This is what I've been trying but I'm not having much luck with it. I can lure four of them out (usually), but two generally hang back and won't come out of the tractor. Do you think maybe they are scared? (That JUST occurred to me!) They're only 7 1/2 weeks old. Maybe I just haven't been at it long enough and they'll get more trusting as they get older?

Or maybe my treats aren't tasty enough? So far I've been using fresh corn because they go bonkers over it. Is there something better or more appealing that they can't resist?

Not hungry enough or treat not enticing enough. I make so feed runs out and crops empty prior to moving, then scratch is sufficient attractant. Mealworms can get my birds going even when crops are close being topped off.

 

[Mrs. K]

Just a few feet inside the run you want them to go in, place some treat. Get a long stick or a broom handle, stand so that the chickens are between you and the direction you want them to move. Now this is a time, when slow is best and will get them in there faster. Just stand and tap the ground, and say "Hut, hut or some similar command, the birds should move away from you in the direction that you want, as long as they are, stand still. When they stop, take another step, tap the ground and say, "Hut". If a bird goes the wrong way, just extend your stick and tap the ground in front of the bird.

The trick is to move slow and calmly, if one gets away, don't worry about it too much, they are a flock animal, and will return to the rest, especially when they see the treat. I free range my birds, but I can pen them up any time of the day, fairly easily, 3-4 minutes, depending on how far they are away using this method.

Carrying very many birds is going to get pretty heavy as they get full sized.

Mrs K

 

[6of6chicks]

Not hungry enough or treat not enticing enough. I make so feed runs out and crops empty prior to moving, then scratch is sufficient attractant. Mealworms can get my birds going even when crops are close being topped off.

This is really helpful - thank you centrarchid! How long does it take for their crops to empty out? If I plan to tractor them in the evening, then should I take up their feeder prior to that so that they will get hungry? Let's say I plan to put them in the tractor at 4:00 pm. How many hours prior to that should I take away their feed? (or is taking up the feeder a bad idea?). If I tractor them for 2-3 hours (on grass), will they still be hungry enough to be lured with treats back OUT of the tractor?

I'll try the mealworms. Thanks!

 

[centrarchid]

Strategy I follow is allow one good crop filling in early morning. By afternoon crop will be empty and they will be getting hungry again. By your 4:00 PM time they will be willing to invest considerable effort in foraging grass and will be easy to lure with feed. Once they are in the desired change of location, then give them free-choice access to feed and they will compensate for afternoon shortfall.

 

[Sunnysidedown]

Thanks for all of the ideas and suggestions!!! I can imagine that carrying 4-5 hens back and forth even in a box or cage can be tiresome at full adult weigh stage. And I agree that mealyworms are like a magnet for my flock so the pide-piper trick should do fine even on a full stomach...or crop