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[nin-chicken]

I finally picked up my four chickens on Saturday and love them so much already! I go in the WIR fairly frequently to feed or poo pick so that they get used to me but i'm not sure when to start picking them up. I know its important to be able to pick them up to check for lice etc but I don't want to scare them off by doing it too soon and make them scared of me.

Any advice greatly appreciated!

They are about 16 wks old BTW

Xx

[redsunset]

Well if you are patient, as soon as they come into lay they will crouch down automatically in front of you so should be easy then? They tend to be quite skittish up to then and hard to catch unless you sit in the WIR for a bit and get them used to taking treats from your hand so may get that bit confident sooner?

 

Others with more experience may have a better answer as I've only had chooks for just over a year so am still in a sense a newbie myself!

[PoachedPlease]

Take a handful of mill worms or grapes every time you go into the run, and try to hand feed. Then picking them up becoms easier. Should take a couple of weeks. It takes longer to get them to run after you the minute you step out of the house, makes me feel like the pied piper.

[nin-chicken]

Thank you so much. I will try the grapes tomorrow. I can catch them fairly easily to give them a cuddle but I'm just not sure if I should be doing it yet!

[Olly]

Pick them up one by one after dark when they have gone to bed - they will be drowsy and easier to handle, and it will accustom them to being held.

[jacquiefrost]

I have only had my 3 chooks for about a month now. they are all feeding from my hand now, and i can pick up 2 of them which then get rewarded with grapes.they will do anything for grapes!

 

the third on is still really flighty and i can barely stroke, let alone pick up.

 

Time and patience is the key i think!

[nin-chicken]

A couple more questions.... When you say pick them up after they've gone to bed do you mean slide open the roof of the cube and lift them out? Doesn't that spook them? And do I cut the grapes in half or feed whole?!

Thanks

[bucklamp]

Hi,

 

I slide open the cube roof at night when I need to get to one particularly flighty bird. You do get a few disgusted "clucks" but they seem to tolerate the sound pretty well.

I guess the slower that you open the roof, the less sound will be made

[Olly]

Yes, if it's a Cube, open the roof - in an Eglu you can usually reach in through the eggport. They won't be too bothered, once it's dark they are fairly dozy. I've learned (the hard way!) that when i need to transport chickens at 7.00 am in the morning, it's easiest to pop them into a cat-carrier the night before.

[chickanne]

Find a step to sit on whilst you offer treats. They will climb all over you to get at treats and you can touch then without having to grab. Otherwise, lure into a small area so they have no chance to run. They quickly learn to crouch. Once they start running you are stuffed!

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