Do chickens come when called?

[MuranoFarms]

Me-moo comes when I yell "cookie!" Of course, it has to be chocolate chip! I tried it yesterday with an oreo and he got within a foot of me, eyed the cookie up and turned away in disdain!

 

[Backyard_Chicken_rancher]

While mine were/are in the brooder I go in every morning and I say good morning ladies and at night before I leave for the night I say good night ladies but when I have treats I simply say come get it ladies and they come runnin so when they go to the big coop/run I do the same thing and they come running most of the time though they just come running over to me when I sit down they learned early on that when I sit down it means I have treats for them.
Calling there names on the one's that have names They do answer me by clucking to me and then I say (name) come and get it and that one comes running so yes they can be trained but you must do it in the brooder from day one and say the same thing over and over everyday. Oh and leave a radio playing day and night on a talk show, or your favorite music I do this and mine seem to understand what I say so much easier the BO's that I have in the brooder now enjoy classic rock, when I walk in and say good morning ladies they all start peeping and then I turn up the music a lil louder so I can do my chores to it they all run to the front of the brooder and lay down facing the radio.

There are many tricks you can do to train them but they will never fetch like a dog if you want that get a dog

If you want the chickens to come to you on command start early while they are young and use the same phrase everyday and say it the same way everyday they will get used to you saying it and learn you are mom/dad chicken and they need to come to you when you call them and everyone that will be dealing with them should do the same this way it cuts down on anyone being flogged or pecked at when it comes time for them to collect the eggs.

I hope this helps you understand a little better on how to train your chickens, Good luck to you.

 

[LauraG]

Quote:

OMG, you are going to crack up when you see your chicks "play fight" and give each other the stink eye! They basically turn their head so that only one eye is facing the "target," stand very still, and proceed to STARE.
Food & treats are definitely instant friendship makers when it comes to chickens.

oh jeepers, this sounds hilarious...!!!

 

[LauraG]

Wow thanks everyone, some funny stuff there.

I dont want my chickens to fetch, i just want to be able to "round them up" so to speak. I have a dog (he doesnt fetch either), and 2 cats already.

My cats will come from the woods when called, and my dog, but I didnt know about chickens. This is my first venture with poultry, not sure what to expect from them

 

[ginbart]

I don't have much to add but I started giving my chickens oat meal as a treat and would say here chick chick then the treats went to honey combs. Boy they love honey combs. LOL They come running to me everytime I call them. They come running everytime they see me. I try and hide as I'm going out because they think I should have a treat all the time. We have neighbors across the road and for some reason they love their yard. When I look outside and see them going across the road I go out and yell, you ladies get back over here and they all run back over. If they go across the road and I miss them doing it I get a piece of bread and call them as I'm walking to the barn to put them in because they were bad, I throw a piece of bread toward the barn but now I have about 6 chickens that know if I'm going to the barn they won't follow me because they know their getting locked up. It's the funnyest thing seeing chickens running to you with their wings flopping and looking right at you.

I wish you the best with them. They are great pets.

 

[san415]

Tala I loved your BYC web pages

 

[leenie]

We started on day one as chicks with "come ladies" and now @ 9 months they all come immediately when called. It's the cutest thing and non chicken people just drop their jaws in amazement

We added 2 new five month olds in January and they are completely on board now as well.

 

[mrsgibber]

Mine do. They also come running when they hear the handle on the house door wiggle...they know I'm coming out to see them.

 

[Drk_Wlf]

I have 7 hens right now and they will on occasion come when called... 3 of them are really good, they will come when called and then go right into their run when I hold the door open. It is all about socialization when they were young. I have 5 chicks right now and I haven't been able to spend as much time with them, so I don't think they will be as well behaved when they get older.

 

[Montana-Hens]

If you call "Chick chick chick-a-roo" they come running at my place.

They free range here all day, but we always call them into the the run about dinner time so the local fox family doesn't start to eye them up as the sun gets lower in the sky.