Can a Feral Hen be tamed?

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pony007

pony007

Songster
Oct 2, 2020
139
324
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Anderson, CA, USA
My Coop
My Coop
I recently came in possession of an american game fowl hen that was found running around a parking lot. Im not sure she was handled at all because she is very wary and nervous around me. If im just standing outside her pen she panics and makes all sorts of frightend noises and jumps around.
Is there any hope of getting her more relaxed around people? I know she'll never be a cuddle chicken and am ok with that. I just dont want her to be afraid all the time when im around.

Any advice on how to make friends with a tertified hen?
 
Terrified hen + Mealworms = Your best friend!

Lol, at least this equation works for me. Chickens will do anything for mealworms. Get a bag and start by tossing some in her enclosure and leaving. Once she's comfortable with you coming up to her to toss meal worms in, try to work up to setting them in the enclosure with your hand. Once she's comfortable with that, sit there, toss the meal worms a distance from you, and see if she will eat then with you there. Eventually toss them closer and closer until she will eat right next to you. Maybe eventually she will eat out of your hand.
Even doing this you have to abide by the rule of thumb for 10% of a chickens body weight in treats a day. Thats about a Tablespoon of mealworms per hen per day.
 
It takes time for them to build the trust. To them you are bigger and trying to eat it. If she was born wild she will most likely never come sit in your lap or like to be touched. She will learn to allow you to be around her without fear.
 
aart said:
Sit quietly near her, read a book.
Walk by frequently without any interaction, so she gets used to your presence.
Don't rush it.

Do you have other chickens?
Click to expand...
I'll work on it daily, i think its going to take a long while for her to get used to peple.

I had to go into her enclosure yesterday to grab eggs and refill her water and she just went berserk. squaking and flapping around. Poor girl :(

I do have many other chickens and a nice big yard and coop. But since i know nothing about this new girl shes way on the other side of the property alone. I feel bad that she has to be alone, but i dont want to risk my other babies getting sick. Not that she's shown any signs, but its been less than a week since I got her. She did come with a rooster that was found with her, but he got loose and took off.
 
pony007 said:
I'll work on it daily, i think its going to take a long while for her to get used to peple.

I had to go into her enclosure yesterday to grab eggs and refill her water and she just went berserk. squaking and flapping around. Poor girl :(

I do have many other chickens and a nice big yard and coop. But since i know nothing about this new girl shes way on the other side of the property alone. I feel bad that she has to be alone, but i dont want to risk my other babies getting sick. Not that she's shown any signs, but its been less than a week since I got her. She did come with a rooster that was found with her, but he got loose and took off.
Click to expand...
I get the quarantine thing. Is there any way you could keep her near the other chickens and within at least hearing range, but still a good distance from each other? I would probably put her in a wire pen, at least 50ft from the wire chicken run. Then they can see each other, and hear each other, but there's no interaction.
 

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