Allowing your chickens to roam freely can provide an ideal outdoor environment for your hens but may not be so ideal for you. In the event that your chickens are now roaming freely and you need to attract them back into their coop, several lures can get them back where they belong.
Food
If your chickens do not have ample food outdoors, you should be able to attract them back into your yard or their coop by using food such as seeds, specially designed chicken feed or corn. Place the feed where you want your chickens to go and wait for them to notice it and approach it. If your chickens are far away, you can start off in their location and make a trail of dropped food heading in the right direction. Just make sure not to lay out so much feed that the chickens fill up their bellies before they reach the end of the trail.
Nesting Boxes
Chickens look for a cozy and safe place to roost at night. Provide a nice chicken coop that is well equipped with nesting boxes and placed in a location appealing to your chickens, such as a grassy, shaded area well protected from predators. Chickens will be attracted to a cozy nesting place with plenty of feed, water and well-bedded nesting boxes where they can feel secure.
The Color Red
Chickens are attracted to the color red. If you want to attract chickens to your coop, paint it and the nesting boxes a nice bright shade of red.
The Rooster
Roosters can always help attract chickens. A healthy young rooster with a large comb and wattle, which are the red growths on the top of his head and under his chin, will help attract chickens. Place your rooster inside the chicken coop or wherever you want your hens to go, and he will help lure them inside.
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Writer Bio
Jen Davis has been writing since 2004. She has served as a newspaper reporter and her freelance articles have appeared in magazines such as "Horses Incorporated," "The Paisley Pony" and "Alabama Living." Davis earned her Bachelor of Arts in communication with a concentration in journalism from Berry College in Rome, Ga.
