Does Anyone Clicker Train Their Chickens?

[Laurajean]

I considered putting this under the Chicken Behaviors section, but the topics there seemed more about illness and strange symptoms, so hopefully here is okay.

Just wondering if anyone has trained chickens using those hand held clickers. Someone posted a YouTube video a while back of a chicken that could identify shapes and colors and the trainer was using a clicker combined with a scratch reward. I've been unable to find that video since, but there are several along those lines on there.

So the other day I was in my feed store and I saw those clickers at the register. It seemed so cute and fun, so on impulse I bought one (which of course is exactly why they put "impulse items" at the register!). Once I got home I thought, "I don't know what the heck to do with this thing". I plan to search this topic online, but wanted to ask all my chicken friends here first.

Anyone use them? Successes? How did you train your chickens and what can they do? Or even a good source for me to check out more on clicker training would be great.

 

[debilorrah]

My chickens are trained to come right to me when I show up with food. Does that count? With a full time job, 2 horses, 2 goats, 55 chickens and 10 ducks, I simply do not have time to even entertain a thought like that.

 

[Zahboo]

I haven't but they learned what the click of my tongue means! I've heard of teaching them sit by their squatting for the roo stance, but never looking into it. My Silkie, Rose, know how to step up and down like a parrot, just stick your hand about 2 inches above her feet. Besides that' they just scratch the ground like livestock

 

[SeramaLife]

Yes, I have. You can search my posts and find a few topics. My Buckeye pecks a target, pecks when I tap and say "peck", is harness trained, and will type hi on the keyboard.

 

[Laurajean]

Ondra's Seramas :

Yes, I have. You can search my posts and find a few topics. My Buckeye pecks a target, pecks when I tap and say "peck", is harness trained, and will type hi on the keyboard.

Can type hi on a keyboard? Do you have video of that? Too funny!​

 

[SeramaLife]

This is a GREAT resource that I used:
www.k9events.com/Trainingchicken.pdf Hope it works

 

[SeramaLife]

Quote:
Can type hi on a keyboard? Do you have video of that? Too funny!

Afraid not. Besides, he is kind of rusty. It comes out more like gibberish. It wouldn't take too long to get him typing it again. He tries.

 

[buffbuttercup]

http://vimeo.com/6324470

here is the link to the original video

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=349355

and here is the link to the thread (i'm assuming it's this thread anyhow, lol).

the woman in the vid is a BYC member who said she'd be happy to answer any specific questions about clicker training. hope this helps and good luck!

 

[Laurajean]

Quote:
Actually that wasn't the video or the thread that I meant, but it was great! In her video, the clicker did not seem to play a big role. I suspect it might not even be needed. When the chicken pecked a bell, it got a treat. I think that might be all it needed for inspiration, lol. I can't wait to try this with mine. Thanks for those links and thanks also to Ondra's Seramas for the training pdf!

 

[JetBlack]

At 2:00 you can hear the clicker-trained Mothership coming to Earth. At 3:00 it leaves. After that, she has to do the clicker thing, indoors.