Hefting Chickens

 The term hefting normally refers to sheep. In some highland sheep you can buy them "hefted" where they already know their range and boundaries, taught by the older sheep in the flock. It stops them wondering too far on common land. 

I use the term with chickens, rightly or wrongly, to mean they know where to roost at night. Something they often have to be trained to do. 

It's a fairly simple process, where you keep the chickens in a coop for pen for a few days. They'll then see this as their home and go back there at night. 

You can teach them by shutting them in their pen each night, but often for the first few nights you have to go around and try and find them. I find this way of shutting them in far easier and safer as far as predators are concerned. The coop is big enough for them, I make sure they have plenty of food and water, as well as that the pen needs to be well ventilated and allow enough light in. 

Last week we shuffled our young birds about a bit, moving birds on as they have gotten bigger. The kids got involved and it's made a really nice and fun video. Give it a watch and let me know what you think. 

Do you ever use the term Heft or Hefting?