Cube Run Question

[Heidi-Hi]

Hi, I've inherited 9 chickens of various ages in August. Out fo the 9, only the Colombian Blacktail will tolerate me, and let me pick her up occasionaly. The rest is so skittish, it is not funny. It is impossible to get near them, and any movement from me sends them running. I have spend hours with them, just sitting, offering them bits, which they will grab and run off and eat it somewhere else. I am fully aware of the importance of checking the chickens over etc. but it is not possible. On the one occasion where I managed to surprise one of them, the poor thing was so traumatised she fainted on me, and the rest didn't come out of hiding for ages. I now have a chicken with a clumped mucky bum, and I'm desperate to cut it clean, but I've only managed to look at it from about 1.5m away. I'm fed up! They are wormed, fed on Garvo, cleaned out once a week and fresh water every day. What more do they want!? I've tried catching them with a net, but they got so spooked and the one that got caught fought so much in the net she managed to damaged one of her wings, so I'm not doing that again! Any advice welcome.

[Plum]

Have you tried picking them up when they are roosting Mine wyandottes still squawked but gradually got used to being held and they calmed eventually. To begin with they would tremble and I felt terrible but with perseverence they got used to it.

[Redwing]

Try getting them out of their coop in the dark (or by soft torchlight) they are a lot more docile when they are sleepy

 

Secondly when you have got them hold them properly. If you are right handed hold the chicken in the palm of your left hand (palm to her tummy) and grip the tops of the legs between your fingers, her breast bone should lay against your left forearm - if she is perfectly balanced she will feel a lot more relaxed, place your arm against yourself so that one wing is held against you and you can use your little finger to anchor the other one down if necessary. If the chook panics then crook your arm so her head is under your elbow or n the crook of it

 

Sounds complicated but very easy I promise!!

 

Holding the chook like this leaves one hand free to check her over and in theory if they feel balanced and secure you could hold them at arms length and they wont flap - mine certainly dont!

[chicken bark]

I agree with Plum.

 

Only a couple of my hens let me pick them up but I don't mind. I know I could get them at dusk when they roost if I needed to treat them for anything. It would be a bit of a faff but it could be done if necessary.

[Wolfie]

Hi Heidi-Hi !

I suggest buying a huge bag of LIVE mealworms. Sit quietly with the hens in a reasonably enclosed area and get your friendly Columbian Blacktail to eat a handful of the mealworms - she will smack her lips and before you know it the others will be pricking their ears up. Gently toss a few mealworms in the hens' direction, so they get the idea. Gradually shorten the distance between the hens and the mealworms so they feed closer to you, eventually getting them to eat out of your hand. Sure, they'll take one and run off with it, but within a few "gentling" sessions, you'll be able to softly touch them whilst they're eating - they won't like this, might swark a bit - but in time they will accept this as the price they pay for the mealworms. It sounds like your hens have been upset before you had them, so take your time. It might take weeks. Be very slow and deliberate in your movements, don't startle them. Let them dictate the pace. Talk to them all the time. (Doesn't everybody do this on this forum? ) Transfer the mealworms to a wide plastic cup. Let the hens eat their mealworms out of the cup. Then you have both hands free to pick them up. By deliberately touching the girls beforehand you'll have prepared them for being picked up. Be very gentle when you pick them up - make it a good experience. I just put both hands over their wings and round their undercarriage, if that makes sense. So they can't flap and distress themselves.

 

We ran out of live mealworms last week and the hens had to make do with dried ones - one Cream Legbar won't eat the dried ones - so make sure you use LIVE ones. We have 500g monthly delivery from Live Foods Direct.

 

Good luck - they sound a real challenge but do let us know how you get on!

[Egluntyne]

I'd buy an anglers net to catch any that need attention. Otherwise, if the weather wasn't so cold, I'd recommend the after they've gone to roost method.

[daxigirl]

Only 2 of mine will let me pick them up, 2 of the others if I corner them. Lisa-Marie never. I have to wait till bed time if I want to have a chickeny cuddle or do anything to them. (My neighbours think I'm a bit doolally with my miners torch on talking to a dark chicken coop.)

[Heidi-Hi]

Thank you for all the advice. I tried picking one of them up last night, they've been in bed for a couple of hours. No good, they all went mad. I retreated very swiftly! I'm starting to think the best way in the future is to start with chicks/very young ones where you can handle them and they get to know you from the start!

[Plum]

Don't give up just small steps to gain their trust. When spring comes you can sit on the ground and feed them so they don't feel you looming over them

[gongladosh]

We've got a chicken of fate (Houdini) that wasn't too used to being held, and we struggled to get hold of her in the elgu run - we changed our technique so that rather than letting her out in the usual manner, every couple of days we lifted her straight out of bed on a morning so she couldn't escape. (With a treat to eat afterwards as the reward!)

 

Within 3 or 4 attempts at this, the difference was massive, she's happy to be held now.