How to get free-range chickens to go into their coop at night?

If you're able to get him to eat and drink from water/food dishes, you can place those into a large kennel or humane trap in order to catch Rooty easier. Chickens tend to enjoy mealworms and other treats, so they can often be bribed with them to go into places for being caught.

If you are concerned about your birds getting cold you should keep them in a wind-proof enclosed shelter and provide them additional heat with a heat lamp. The feed you described is appropriate provided they are in cold weather. You should not feed corn if the temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit or 32 degrees celsius.

Thanks for reaching out about Hens. The basic thing is to establish a routine and keep to it, make all movements slow and deliberate, other distractions need to be kept minimized. Give it a few days. Good luck.

Hello. Chickens can indeed spread diseases, like Salmonella, Campylobacter, Mycobacterium & Chlamidia. But if you have a normal functioning immune system & wash hands after working & handling the chickens & eggs, you should be fine. Chickens can be a lot of work as you need a proper place to keep them safe, a good coop for the night, proper food in the correct ratios, ocassional worming & make sure you only purchase chicks that have been vaccinated for Mareks. There are wonderful books & websites for new chicken owners. I like https://www.mypetchicken.com & https://the-chicken-chick.com. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hi there. Chasing and killing chickens is an extremely self-rewarding behavior for dogs, so punishing her afterwards will not be effective at fixing the problem. In many dogs, this behavior can be significantly improved by teaching her to voluntarily look away from the chickens to get a treat - you have to start with lots of distance, and go very slowly in order for this to work. Even then, she may never be able to be trusted around them off-leash. If this is something you want to work on, I would recommend getting in touch with a good reward-based trainer who can help you in person. You can search for one in your area here: www.ccpdt.org In the meantime, Penny should be kept completey separated from the chickens using a secure fence, a leash, etc. to prevent any further problems.

Choose a commercial pelleted diet labeled as "all flock" or "flock raiser". This is a complete diet for most chickens. For the hen, you will need to supplement calcium, especially if she is a layer. You can offer her crushed oyster shells freely. Do not use a layer diet for both. The calcium levels would be too high for the rooster leading to potential health issues for him. The website www.backyardchickens.com is an excellent resource for information regarding the husbandry and feeding of domestic chickens.

Yes, Give her a chance to settle down. Close all doors and windows. Turn off any ceiling fans. Ate an hour or two, move slowly and speak quietly. You may need another set of hands to help out, otherwise you will be chasing her all night and stressing the both of you. If you have a lightweight sheet or pillowcase, you can use that to toss on to her and then gently scoop her up. Nets can be used, but care must be taken to not injure the bird with the ring or handle.