Recent content by Rachel TW

Also, I disagree with you that everyone would be doing the methods if they worked. Most people don't even know they exist. Additionally, training takes work and effort and most people aren't up for that. And I would estimate a huge portion of the chicken community is raising their chickens for...

You're so right - there's lots of research on chicken intelligence. They're extremely trainable because they're smart, social, and food-oriented.

I am sorry to hear about your experience with your turkey. I don't know anything about turkeys, so I really can't comment on that at all. i only have experience with roosters. I don't know to get more specific than the featherbrain article - that is literally what I do, step-by-step. Do you...

I agree with you. If I were raising chickens for production and planning on killing roosters anyway, I'd kill the pain-in-the-butt ones. And if I had children who were expected to do chicken chores, of course, their safety would come first. I don't have children and I also don't farm my...

I definitely disagree with you there - saying it's instinct doesn't show him empathy at all, in my opinion. Roosters attack for many different reasons. One of the main ones is they're treating you as a rival - and that's what the whole training is about, changing that relationship, not being a...

I would say that "good" and "bad" also describes the way people are talking on this forum. Many are using the word "bad," and the entire concept that an aggressive rooster can never change his behavior suggests he is born "bad" and is therefore irredeemable, and unworthy of empathy. Because if...

You used the words "mean" and "nice." Those are unquestionably human judgments. As someone who actually trains roosters, that's just not true. I have many roosters who have never gone back to their old behavior. Much of Pavlov has been discredited/outdated - that's not an appropriate model to...

That does make sense. I've had something similar to that with some of my birds. For example, I had a special needs chicken who I had to feed separately in my house twice a day. When she saw me coming outside she'd sprint over and squat in front of my feet - her way of asking me to pick her up...

You're incredibly incorrect that if you ever slip up, he attacks you again, or that you're just bribing him to sit on your lap. That's a complete misrepresentation of the process. Training is similar to training dogs - sometimes your dog may forget a command or start a bad habit again, and you...

It doesn't sound like you've ever actually tried to work with any rooster who behaved aggressively, though. From what you've said there, it sounds like whenever you get one who doesn't do what you want, you're convinced he's "bad." You don't even try to understand his behavior, just label him as...

Very wise words, Tricia. Thanks for sticking up for roosters in your comments - very few do. When considering the articles posted here that are empathetic to roosters, these articles are clearly written for people who WANT to make things work with their roosters. So many people commenting on...

Hi Brenda, Did your chicks survive the mite treatment you used? Thanks! Britt

SarahLadd, I used an AC unit in my chicken coop my first year with chickens. We have no shade here whatsoever and my chicken coop gets blasted by the sun all day long and it's sooo hot! I bought the cheapest AC unit we could find at the time off Amazon. We were new to chickens and we made the...

Here's a good video on this topic - goes over things you can do if they fight -

I’d love to hear how this turned out. I have a hen who was stressed and ate a bunch of straw. Talking about surgery with the vet today. She’s not familiar with the flush.