Positive Reinforcement Training Poultry – Give It A Try!

We live in an age today where information is shared all over, and has been made more accessible than it was even ten years ago. The expansion of social media that allows for posts and videos has made it a bit easier to learn a bit about everything, but one thing I would love to see more of is positive reinforcement training for animals. I have started to see more information on training dogs, and even cats, but there is still a big lack of information, ideas, and experiences regarding training other animals. That is why I want to introduce this article to you, the BackYard Chickens readers, about using this training method with your poultry. Please read this article carefully, and in full, so that you may be a responsible poultry caretaker with your training methods. Before I introduce the concept to you more, I want to firstly get you excited about the possibilities that are ahead.


I want to start by sharing with you about my own personal poultry friend, Chicken Hawk. Having turned eight years old this April, she is still learning new things even today as an elderly chicken. When she was a baby, the broody hen who raised her became unfriendly to the babies, and she had to be pulled and hand raised for her safety. I began to look for ways to build our bond and enrich her daily life, when I recalled something I had seen a few years prior. You see, back then social media and video platforms were not as popular then, and so I was actually recalling something from a blog I read while working in animal sheltering. Dr. Sophia Yin was a veterinarian and animal behaviorist who taught about positive reinforcement training and also positive handling in veterinary clinics. I recalled a post I had read on training chickens, revisited it, and became inspired.


Could I take the same principles I had learned with training dogs and cats, and apply it to my newly feathered young chicken? She became my inspiration, and my first animal to train outside of canine and feline companions. I did my homework on the subject, worked closely with her over the next few months, and became very proud of our progress. Today, Chicken Hawk knows: up, here, ding ding (ringing a service bell), peck, and even rides on a little skateboard as you pull her along! Another very helpful one she has learned is to crate herself. Inspired by my work with her, I have went on to train our ducks and even recently our baby turkeys!


To get started, you’ll need to do homework on the basics of positive reinforcement training and what it is. If you want to be very specific, learn about clicker training and how the “click-treat” reward system works. You will need to be patient, make sure not to reward the improper action (if you click for the wrong thing and reward, they will associate it with being right), and make sure that your click is immediately followed by the reward so that they associate the marker sound with the treat. Once you are comfortable with the basics of this training method and have done your research, learning how to train without force or negative consequences, now you will need to study up with your animal.



Young folks, you will want to have an adult to supervise just to be safe when working with animals, and it may also help you both to learn about this concept. It is absolutely essential, in my opinion, that you understand your animal and their behavior – knowing what their body language means, when they are uncomfortable, training in a safe space, and also knowing what super yummy reward will get their attention and get them excited about training time. My suggestion is that you work with an animal that has been in your care long enough to be comfortable with you, and sees you as a caretaker, rather than trying to train a bird on the very first day you get them!


Once you’ve researched the methods of positive reinforcement, bonded with your animal enough to know their comfort zone, and found a treat they look forward to – it is time to brainstorm what you will teach. A good one for the beginner is to teach your bird to recall, or come to you when called. For Chicken Hawk we used “here” and have her run to us when she is asked, followed by her reward. This is not only a fun, but practical skill, which could come in handy in a possible emergency situation (with enough training and practice) where you need the bird to come to you. Take notes as you go along of what treats they love, what seems to not be working and how you can improve it, and your ideas for things to teach them.


Some final closing thoughts that are critical to training before you go – firstly, as mentioned prior, it is so important to understand your animal and their comfort. Do not try to train something physically uncomfortable for them, or something that causes stress. Secondly, remember that every animal is different and they will learn differently. For an example – our two turkey poults have different rewards they want for training, and they learn at different speeds. The little male constantly wants to work at his skills, while the female will train for awhile and become tired or disinterested if you train for too long. If they do not seem to be prone to learning one thing, try another that is more basic. Lastly, remember that you and your poultry are learning together, so keep studying on how to improve and do things in a positive way. Be creative, have fun with your birds, and please do let us know what you are able to train your poultry friends to do!