Clicker Training For Chickens

[Chicks Galore3]

After reading several posts on here about training chickens and several videos, I've decided to train my chicken! I am starting Clicker Training, where you have a clicker, food and a chicken. You get the chicken to do something, click then reward. I am going to start with pecking at a certain shape. I'll update you and see how it goes! First lesson will be....now.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

The first session went wonderfully! It actually WORKED. It took her about 10 seconds to figure- Click=TREAT! At first, if she even glanced down. (or didn't look at me!) I click-rewarded. I gradually made her look further and further down. THEN She saw a knob on the table and pecked at it- I click-REWARDED for that!!!! She hasn't quite got the concept to peck AT the TARGET. (A blue square.) I put a black dot in the middle of the square, so that might help. Second Session will be this noon.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

second session

I glued a paper oat to the target, because she couldn't figure out what to do. It worked! She has a fuzzy idea of what she is supposed to do. But she got bored and walked away. She has a short attention span.

 

[Chickenfan4life]

Congrats! It sounds like fun!

 

[Chicks Galore3]

It is very. You got to be on your toes though, chickens think and react fast. And if you don't keep it moving, they get bored.

 

[Feathersprings]

It is very. You got to be on your toes though, chickens think and react fast. And if you don't keep it moving, they get bored.

Are you still working on your clicker training ? I am going to start with one of my girls next week. I would love to hear what you are doing.

 

[Polona]

I'm clicker training my chickens. I also clicker train some farm animals @ the local ZOO (for regional breed presentations), including chickens so that's @ minimum 6 chickens I regularly train.

With ZOO chickens we work most on handling and going to selected places and staying there for a while (on a pole, in front of the crowds). So far I though my chickens to go to their 'crate', step and stay on my arm while I move around, jump in the air, follow and peck a moving target, step on various objects, picking up small objects (no lucky yet with getting them to hold the object too), 'dancing' and picking one color out of a bunch of colors.

Next up is teaching them to give me their foot, one at a time (handling).
They all have their preferred behaviors and treats so they don't all learn the same behaviors at the same pace.
The only photo I have of any of my chickens showing off what they know:

 

[Feathersprings]

I'm clicker training my chickens. I also clicker train some farm animals @ the local ZOO (for regional breed presentations), including chickens so that's @ minimum 6 chickens I regularly train.

With ZOO chickens we work most on handling and going to selected places and staying there for a while (on a pole, in front of the crowds). So far I though my chickens to go to their 'crate', step and stay on my arm while I move around, jump in the air, follow and peck a moving target, step on various objects, picking up small objects (no lucky yet with getting them to hold the object too), 'dancing' and picking one color out of a bunch of colors.

Next up is teaching them to give me their foot, one at a time (handling).
They all have their preferred behaviors and treats so they don't all learn the same behaviors at the same pace.
The only photo I have of any of my chickens showing off what they know:

I am very interested in knowing more about your training

I have silkie and Cochin chickens. I have only got as far a charging the clicker ... with just one of my silkie girls. I need to move on to getting her to target something. I am afraid to train on a table with the silkies though... I have been thinking i might be better off to teach myself with one of the cochins.

 

[Polona]

When they were still on the farm we worked on the floor inside the barn. We were separated from other chickens by a wire and carton barrier (the could not see each other but they could hear us and us them). With more motivated and curious chickens it didn't take long for them to adapt and connect clicker with food (first they had to get used to eating out of a cup, the more frightened chickens needed WEEKS for just that small step). Once I took 3 of them home we started working outside on grass. It's a bit distracting for them (grass is still a new thing to my ladies) but they can work just fine. My ZOO chickens also work on the ground (no chance of working on a table there!). With my next training project (handling feet) we're going to work on a table.

I already had my chickens walk all over the table (covered so it's not slippery!) to explore and get comfortable on it.

I used a target stick (the same one I use for training my dogs) - pecking it, as their first CT behavior. I added following, once they were comfortable with pecking it at different heights and in different positions. Some of them were afraid of the target at first so I gave them food and slowly moved the target close to them. Only if they were eating did I move the target closer, until it was all the way in the feeding cup and they were eating by pecking around the target.

A very bad quality video from a training session with one of my chickens back at the farm
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3kvla59g0gkppoj/SK Cr 4 polkrogle 3 test.wmv

I'll definitely make a new video sometime in the future with the chickens showing off what they know. I just need to borrow a camera and someone to hold it.

What are you using as treats? I'm using live mealworms with my ZOO chickens (I have fresh supply there) and a mixture of different seeds, their regular food mix and grated cheese for my home chickens (I haven't set up my own mealworm 'production' at home yet and they don't like eating whole corn).

 

[Feathersprings]

When they were still on the farm we worked on the floor inside the barn. We were separated from other chickens by a wire and carton barrier (the could not see each other but they could hear us and us them). With more motivated and curious chickens it didn't take long for them to adapt and connect clicker with food (first they had to get used to eating out of a cup, the more frightened chickens needed WEEKS for just that small step). Once I took 3 of them home we started working outside on grass. It's a bit distracting for them (grass is still a new thing to my ladies) but they can work just fine. My ZOO chickens also work on the ground (no chance of working on a table there!). With my next training project (handling feet) we're going to work on a table.

I already had my chickens walk all over the table (covered so it's not slippery!) to explore and get comfortable on it.

I used a target stick (the same one I use for training my dogs) - pecking it, as their first CT behavior. I added following, once they were comfortable with pecking it at different heights and in different positions. Some of them were afraid of the target at first so I gave them food and slowly moved the target close to them. Only if they were eating did I move the target closer, until it was all the way in the feeding cup and they were eating by pecking around the target.

A very bad quality video from a training session with one of my chickens back at the farm
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3kvla59g0gkppoj/SK Cr 4 polkrogle 3 test.wmv

I'll definitely make a new video sometime in the future with the chickens showing off what they know. I just need to borrow a camera and someone to hold it.

What are you using as treats? I'm using live mealworms with my ZOO chickens (I have fresh supply there) and a mixture of different seeds, their regular food mix and grated cheese for my home chickens (I haven't set up my own mealworm 'production' at home yet and they don't like eating whole corn).

I have one Silkie girl that seems like she would be more readily trainable than the others as she is more interested in food rewards. I dont have live meal worms but freeze dried and she likes those and will take scratch as well. I have a new group of Cochin bantams in quarantine right now that might be better for my first attempt at training as they are more active and interested in things as well as see better! I three separate chicken runs ( no grass) so could use one of those for training. Ok, I will get a target stick to use. Are you holding the fed cup in your hand or on a stick? I have seen people do it in both ways. My silkie will eat out of my hand but havent tried a cup..