Quote:
This is a tip from a Brahma breeder. He said to hold your birds as many times as possible per day (preferably at minumum three times a day, but two will work if you don't have the time), and while holding them, give them a blackened banana (they love this!), while they eat on the blackened banana stroke the back of thier neck. This has even been known to work on aggressive birds. If you can't get them eat the banana on thier own just stuff a little bit in the back of thier mouth, and they should be hooked! I hope this is of some help to you.
Ok, so...if it takes both hands to hold the brahma, what other two hands are doing the feeding and the stroking??
Try holding him/her under your left (unless your left handed) arm so that the wings are locked down, this will enable you to have less of a fight. Have your banana in a dish in advance and use your right hand to put a little of the banana in the birds mouth. This can take some practice if your new to it, getting a scared birds beak open while putting food in there mouth takes patience, but make sure the bird knows the source. I've had to force feed a bite then put the chickens beak into the food, to make sure that they find it. If your lucky the bird will open it's mouth in protest and tast the yummy food. It's amazing how fast a bird will relax and eat the new yummy food ravonously while you stroke the birds neck. Each time you do this, the bird will become more and more friendly since he/she will associate you with the good food and soft stroking hoping to get something yummy.
I know this sounds difficult but you'll find that it's only very hard the first time or two that you do it, and rest of the time it just gets easier and easier.
This is a tip from a Brahma breeder. He said to hold your birds as many times as possible per day (preferably at minumum three times a day, but two will work if you don't have the time), and while holding them, give them a blackened banana (they love this!), while they eat on the blackened banana stroke the back of thier neck. This has even been known to work on aggressive birds. If you can't get them eat the banana on thier own just stuff a little bit in the back of thier mouth, and they should be hooked! I hope this is of some help to you.
Ok, so...if it takes both hands to hold the brahma, what other two hands are doing the feeding and the stroking??
Try holding him/her under your left (unless your left handed) arm so that the wings are locked down, this will enable you to have less of a fight. Have your banana in a dish in advance and use your right hand to put a little of the banana in the birds mouth. This can take some practice if your new to it, getting a scared birds beak open while putting food in there mouth takes patience, but make sure the bird knows the source. I've had to force feed a bite then put the chickens beak into the food, to make sure that they find it. If your lucky the bird will open it's mouth in protest and tast the yummy food. It's amazing how fast a bird will relax and eat the new yummy food ravonously while you stroke the birds neck. Each time you do this, the bird will become more and more friendly since he/she will associate you with the good food and soft stroking hoping to get something yummy.
I know this sounds difficult but you'll find that it's only very hard the first time or two that you do it, and rest of the time it just gets easier and easier.
