Can you take your chickens for walks?

[ChickenAlgebra]

Um, the problem here is getting the chickens to NOT follow you everywhere. People often have treats, so must be followed until the treats appear.

Now, getting the guinea freaks to follow, har har har.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
With my system the birds do not follow me or get underfoot. Key is not to give them feed straight from bucket. I for one do not like hungry livestock getting pushy with me at feeding time. Results in feed being spilt and great er effort required in managing movement of animals through gates.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I free range during the growing season and I like being able to call them in from a distance. Sometimes I need to put them in the run for some reason. If you call to get their attention and hold up the treat container, they'll run across a couple of acres, no problem. They have good eyesight!

For long distances like that, they start flapping their wings, to get there quicker. It's really funny. They'll follow you anywhere when you have the treat container.

Mine have a routine of being let out of the run and getting a treat on the patio every day. When you let them out, the first thing they all do is run ahead to the patio, when you don't even have the treat container with you. I give them their treat, do a quick visual inspection of them and then they go off to forage for the day. Once you get any kind of routine established with them, I think they do well.

 

[donrae]

Quote:
Anything light enough for you to move is light enough for a goat to push over. That's what I was thinking of, they will headbutt it and knock the structure right over on it's side. Chicken food is like ambrosia to them!

 

[Hopeful Peacock]

Hmmmm, that's a good point. I'll have to think about tipping-resistance in the design. I'm sure I can't build a goat-PROOF coop though. Hmmm. . . .

 

[GoldenSparrow]

Its kind of funny, but i use to walk my rooster on a leash, all the time

he was lowest in the dominent line, so he would hang around with me for the day. he always wanted to be with me, and would even try to fly into the house windows, to get to me!!!
once when my father was at the house, cooking dinner he left the house door open. and guess who greated him? my rooster, Hope. he walked right into the kitchen, and was helping himself to the cats dinner!!

anyway I made a leash for him with a harness.I would walk with him all over the yard.

but what you said.
I am sure the chickens would follow you if they new they would get lots of treats.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

To make things a little sturdier, it helps to put them together with wood screws instead of nails. They hold better, especially something being moved around or possibly flexed a bit. Maybe bashed.

 

[Hopeful Peacock]

Oh yes, we're a big believer in screws here. If you could see how sturdy my husband-designed and built house is, you'd laugh.

That's a cute story about your rooster in a harness!