Chicken on a leash??

[v.cyr]

I will start by stating this is NOT MY IDEA... it is my GF's... she wants to get a leash for Rocky, our Buff Brahma roo, and walk him like a dog... I think the idea is a little crazy, but she has her heart set on it... she was looking at the leashes for rabbits and ferrets at the pet store, and I managed to convince her to hold off on buying on until I consulted you folks... so, can you walk a chicken on a leash?...

 

[sawmane1]

I have made my own out of hey string, and have heard about people using rabbit leashes.

 

[stubbornhill]

I don't know if you can or not, but I am curious...Why does she want to walk a roo? Do you mean like just in your yard or to take a trip down town and walk him around? Again, just curious.

 

[7L Farm]

Quote:
Man my roo would freak out.I live on a farm & he really doesn't see a whole lotta people. I better leave him alone & let him do his thing here on the farm.I guess city chickens are different than country chickens.

 

[Denninmi]

People do it all the time with ducks, and put shoes on them, too, to protect their feet in city environments. You will need some kind of a harness -- you should be able to adapt some type of small animal harness without too much trouble.

Before you do this, though, make sure its legal to have a rooster where you live -- this will attract attention, and some people may not take kindly to having a rooster around, fearing it will be noisy or smelly. If you're illegal, I'd not take him out in public. If you're legal, go for it if you want to.

 

[JoePa]

No - it ain't a good idea - people will think she is nuts - if she doesn't care about that - then it would be hard on the bird - they don't know enough to follow you around - even dogs that are a lot smarter than chickens need to be trained to properly walk with a leash - and what about the poop - she gonna just leave it there for someone to step in it - she'll give those of us who like chickens a bad rap - put your foot down and tell her - NO -

 

[silkiechicken]

I've leashed chickens using small dog harnesses. Never walked them though, as the intent was to make sure they would not get away during show and tell sessions.

 

[tinychicky]

yup, you can my lil sis has trained her cochin roo to not only walk well on a leash, but go over jumps, through weave poles and through tunnels!!!

 

[v.cyr]

we live out in the country, on a farm... no problems with legality or other people thinking she is crazy if they see her, and no sidewalks to have to worry about leaving poop on, just our lawn... our neighbors(my mom and dad), get a little fed up with the noise some times, but they get free eggs, so they don't complain(much)... I think she wants to try it because Rocky is the first of our birds that might be docile enough for her to try it with... she believes like I do, that chickens are livestock, not pets, but she really has taken a liking to little Rocky, and even I admit he is an affectionate little bugger...

 

[BooBear]

You can order chicken harnesses from folks on line. They also sell chicken diapers.
Sounds like a fun idea if Rocky accepts it.
Check the Everything else for sale section on the Auction part of BYC.
Luvmychics makes nice saddles, harnesses, and diapers. She has a nice pattern selection.
You can also try cat or dog harnessed depending on the size of Rocky.