Patridge bantam chicken poorly foot?

[Guest]

i keep reading about hens climbing onto people's laps and going to sleep, or to be groomed or to steal a treat. How was this achieved? Would love to have 'cuddly' hens. I have had mine for 3 weeks now (I WANT AN EGG!) and Honeysuckle is quite relaxed when she is picked up and seems to quite enjoy being stroked. Evangeline can be picked up, but is very tense the whole time, and Scarlett runs a mile if she thinks you have any intention of picking her up at all. I would love it if they approached me! What is the secret? Or is just in the chicken's nature?

[Lewis]

Go outside with sweetcorn or grapes and they will soon be your new best friends.

Another one which I got off here was to boil some spaghetti up, chop it us a bit so it isn't too long, and dangle that and they come running over, they think it's worms!

[Guest]

Grapes are their most favourite food in the whole world! I guess I will have to sit with the grapes and insist they climb onto my lap to get them.

[Guest]

Wow! Your rhubarb is a lot better than mine! Do you put chicken poo on it?

[Faye&Ant]

I agree, bribery with grapes and treats and they will love you. Two of ours love a cuddle but the other two who we have had since last september still hate cuddles and being picked up, they only run to me and jump on my lap for treats and then run for it

 

Some you win some you lose but give it a little time and im sure yours will come round - good luck

[Lewis]

Wow! Your rhubarb is a lot better than mine! Do you put chicken poo on it?

Nope I wonder what would happen if I did It's always been good.

[Guest]

The man from Omlet who delivered my chickens told me 'they have no sense at all'. NOT SO! As the responders to my previous post told me - THEY WILL DO ANTHING FOR A GRAPE! Since yesterday I have put them on an intensive 'Cuddly hen training' programme, and am happy to report, that after only their second session, Honeysuckle and Evangeline will climb onto my lap to retrieve a grape, and have realised that they really dont mind being given a little stroke as they do so! (Scarlett is a shy little thing, and so I only require that she take the grape from my hand at this point....)

[Lewis]

Well done! And welcome to the delights of chicken keeping.

 

Do you feed them whole grapes? Just make sure they are ok and not too big.

[Snowy]

Food training definitely works wonders for their confidence! But you will find that when they start crouching and come into lay, they will become much more tame anyway. If they jump on your knee for treats now - be prepared to be mugged everytime you set foot outdoors in future!! You can have too much of a good thing!

[Guest]

i chop the grapes in half. Realised quite soon that they will do anything to stop one of the others 'stealing' the grape - including swallowing them whole! Such a waste to do that - cant enjoy the taste if they are whole! It may be that they are thinking about coming into lay soon too (I HOPE!). Evangeline is my 'star' pupil and her comb is suddenly very red and getting quite big. Here's hoping......

[Janty]

I also chop up the grapes, sometimes into quarters. The size is better for my bantams and the brahmas just swallow anything without appreciating what it is so it makes them work a bit harder, chasing round for them.

 

On the cuddly front, I agree with the others...food. It's the only way. Mrs. Beeton, our friendliest chicken took the plunge and started jumping up. She is a little monster who helps herself to food from the conservatory. She is also quite happy to indulge us and sit on our laps once we have fed her. Bauble, Mistletoe and Kylie are following her example now. I even had Buffy sitting on my knee last week but as she is a HUGE brahma, my knee could only take the strain for so long.