Poorly chicken

[GrannyTrish]

We've had our hens for 5 weeks now (just seems like yesterday!) and they still run away from me if they feel cornered. I've held out my hand with food in it (meal worms and sunflower hearts which they love) but they won't come any closer than a couple of feet. When they were in the summerhouse during the snow I could get really close to them and managed to pick one up but she wasn't happy at first and then settled down and cosied in.

Do I just need to be patient? Do I try to pick them up every day? I can pick them up when it's dark but is that the right thing to do? Any advice is welcome, please.

 

PS They are such good girls and put themselves to bed every night without me having to do anything to tempt or coax them. I don't even have to be out there! *proud hen mum*

[Cat tails]

It takes time and for some it will never come. How old are they now? The younger they are the more likely they will get tame.

Only two of my hens are confident enough to eat from my hand. One hen was very brave when little and would roost on my shoulder, but has outgrown that phase. My oldest hen hates being picked up and will make a right fuss. And my little white hen is just scared of everything and everyone. Although I can pluck her from the roost at night as she doesn’t like to roost in the coop, but I like a lie in during the weekend...

I don’t really pick my hens up for a cuddle as they don’t appreciate it. Only did it with Leentje who I sadly had to put down. She was a real little character and when she was little prefered to roost on my lap and would sneak in the house in the evening.

[GrannyTrish]

I'm not bothered about cuddling them; it's just if I need to inspect one in case I think there's something wrong.

Two of them are around 1yr and one is around 2yrs. It's reassuring to hear that yours are a bit like ours.

[Luvachicken]

I have Gemma who is my most cuddly and always has been and then there is Polly  - aptly named after parrots - who squawks like a fox has caught her if you pick her up.

The chicks I got in May last year were extremely friendly but over the winter and not being in there so much, they run away too.

However, they do all run towards me when I have treats but when the CHICKEN APRON is being worn you can bet they will leg it to the bit under the cube where I can't get to 

The best way I've found to catch them is to come slowly and crouched slightly. I trick them with one hand moving towards them and while they are busy watching that one hand come to get them quite fast, move the other hand slightly slower. By the time they've realised there are actually two hands, it's too late  

[GrannyTrish]

Ooo, that's a sneaky move, Luvachicken! I like it .

[Lewis]

Are they laying? Generally they calm down once they start laying and as they're eating more they're a bit slower too.

A large part of it is being confident and knowing how to be around them. I live away from home so don't 'tame' the chickens but they know the routine. When I whistle they come running down the garden and get treats, the adults know so every year the chicks we've hatched will learn the same - I also have a noise for putting them back in their run. When I take them on my courses they're good as gold. Perfect to handle and will sit on a table next to me for three hours ...people never believe they're not trained

It's the same in the clinic, if someones not used to handling birds the bird feels uncomfortable and will flap/try to get away. If the handler is confident the bird is happy and will stay still for examination or whatever.

[GrannyTrish]

Thanks, Lewis. I'm confident around most animals and have handled a variety of pets; hamsters, budgies, gold fish, dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits. Actually, over the past week they've let me a lot closer than they used to so I'm not feeling so much of a failure now.

I read that you're meant to hold them with them sitting in your palm and yours fingers between their legs, which is what I've tried to do but it doesn't work when they flap so I just cosied them into my body which calmed them down.

Should I hold them every day to get them used to it or will that just make them more nervous of me?

[Cat tails]

The whole fingers between there legs must work with large fowl, but doesn’t work at all with my bantams. Depending on the “job” at hand I will either hold them over their wings with two hands - used for transferring to run of stuffing in cat carrier of very awake and unwilling victims. Or hand under breast and other hand lightly over wings - sleepy hens to coop in dark. If your hens aren’t too large, you can also let them perch on your hand/arm. Most of mine prefer that to being held.

[GrannyTrish]

1 minute ago, Cat tails said:

Depending on the “job” at hand I will either hold them over their wings with two hands - used for transferring to run of stuffing in cat carrier of very awake and unwilling victims. Or hand under breast and other hand lightly over wings - sleepy hens to coop in dark.

I used both of these methods successfully.

As for the perching on me .  Maybe in a year or so they won't fly away!

[Cat tails]

Just now, GrannyTrish said:

I used both of these methods successfully.

As for the perching on me .  Maybe in a year or so they won't fly away!

Clip their wings  

[GrannyTrish]

1 minute ago, Cat tails said:

Clip their wings  

They are clipped! They can still flutter down to the ground though!

[Lewis]

I always hold them in my palm with their legs either side of my middle finger, large fowl can rest on your forearm and it works for bantams too. 
In the past I've done it with Frantiska my Harris' Hawk but that's definitely not how you're meant to hold raptors  

I wouldn't pick them up every day just get them to associate you with food and they'll settle  

[GrannyTrish]

14 hours ago, Lewis said:

I always hold them in my palm with their legs either side of my middle finger, large fowl can rest on your forearm and it works for bantams too. 
In the past I've done it with Frantiska my Harris' Hawk but that's definitely not how you're meant to hold raptors  

I wouldn't pick them up every day just get them to associate you with food and they'll settle  

My ex is a bird ringer for the BTO and I used to go out on field trips with him, and no, that's not how I've seen raptors held . When I see ringing on nature programs on the TV I really miss it.

I'm half way there then, as they definitely associate me with food now.  Thank you, Lewis.

[GrannyTrish]

Since it's been pouring down all day the girls have been sheltering in the, ahem, summer house aka junk house! It's easier to get hold of them in there so I managed to pick each of them up and the only one who made a fuss was Doris, the new "boss". I even managed to take a photo of Connie.

[Luvachicken]

She looks very at home there.

When mine come into the kitchen they start off well behaved and then they realise they can see out of the kitchen window and can look up at the sky, then they spot that their friends are outside and they want to get back there straight away 

[Sara_PC]

We've had our ex-bats a week now and the key to their hearts seems to have been spaghetti and scrambled egg!

[GrannyTrish]

Ours are fussy beggars! Hubby took sweetcorn out to them yesterday and they didn't touch it! Mind you, it's all gone now but where that was them or wild birds before the chooks got out, I don't know. They did run off with pizza crusts the other evening! Maybe they're junk food addicts .

[Sara_PC]

23 minutes ago, GrannyTrish said:

Ours are fussy beggars! Hubby took sweetcorn out to them yesterday and they didn't touch it! Mind you, it's all gone now but where that was them or wild birds before the chooks got out, I don't know. They did run off with pizza crusts the other evening! Maybe they're junk food addicts .

I think they liked the spaghetti because I wiggled it around like a worm! Mine haven’t touch sweet corn yet either!

[GrannyTrish]

6 hours ago, Sara_PC said:

I think they liked the spaghetti because I wiggled it around like a worm! Mine haven’t touch sweet corn yet either!

I must try them on spaghetti! DH said that they made a beeline for the sweetcorn when he let them out this morning. I put some out for them this evening at around 4.30 and again they didn't touch it. They seem to think it's for breakfast instead of supper!

[The Dogmother]

Mine aren't handled masses, just when necessary. I tend to do any fettling after dark when they have gone to roost, so they get less stressed. If you need to catch any in daylight, then either just whistle them into the run, or use a short-handled catching net (mine is from Cotswold Chickens) and there's no need to chase them around (which I don't recommend anyway) just scoop them up.

Regarding handling, I have the palm of my hand under the bird with the middle three fingers under the breast bone and thumb and little finger holding the thighs. This is what I teach on my courses and is the best way to stop them scrabbling and still have one hand free to inspect them.

[GrannyTrish]

6 hours ago, The Dogmother said:

Regarding handling, I have the palm of my hand under the bird with the middle three fingers under the breast bone and thumb and little finger holding the thighs.

Do you have any photos, Dogmother, please?

[The Dogmother]

On 3/18/2018 at 2:23 PM, GrannyTrish said:

Do you have any photos, Dogmother, please?

Ummm, this is the best that I can find, I am sure there are some in my videos if you look on YouTube though

[Lewis]

I'm going home tomorrow so will try and remember to take some photos!