D'uccle Thread

[Cetawin]

If I read it correctly....the booted bantam has a different name in UK, Germany and The Netherlands being sablepoot. It can be confusing because they call a d'Uccle a booted bantam in some circles ai who knows. LoL

 

[hokankai]

Picked up a pair of month old mille fleur d'uccles this weekend! I'm excited to see how they turn out.

One question, they have not been handled much and are therefore pretty fearful of human hands. They'll "bite" (even though it doesn't hurt) and I want them to be the friendly birds they're born to be. What's the best way to go about hand-taming them? I'm sure treats is one way, but they are particularly fearful when you raise your hand above their head or move it around their face. Any training techniques that would be good for this?

 

[Carolynspeeps]

Quote:
Hand feeding works best for me.

 

[hokankai]

Do you only feed them by hand? Or do you occasionally go in and put food or treats in your hand? How long does it usually take for them to chill out? I got a sizzle with the d'uccles and she's already warmed up to me for the most part, but still doesn't like me reaching in to grab her (understandably

).

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

Quote:
1. hand feeding treats, (i'm naughty I use good old bread when I want some 1 on 1- chickens love it, and have a fit over it)
2. in the mornings - at first feeding, put some feed in your hand and try slowly touching and petting them each morning - if they are like mine, they think their starving when sun comes up - lol.
3. take them inside with a towel in your lap and watch TV and give them attention, (treats too

) by hand while rubbing them and cuddling.

This will quickly make them lovey d'uccles

 

[hokankai]

Quote:
1. hand feeding treats, (i'm naughty I use good old bread when I want some 1 on 1- chickens love it, and have a fit over it)
2. in the mornings - at first feeding, put some feed in your hand and try slowly touching and petting them each morning - if they are like mine, they think their starving when sun comes up - lol.
3. take them inside with a towel in your lap and watch TV and give them attention, (treats too

) by hand while rubbing them and cuddling.

This will quickly make them lovey d'uccles

Sounds good! I'll have to give that a try. I'll have to take them in the bathroom for cuddling because I'm pretty sure they'll try and fly away right now. How long should I give them to settle in? It's only been a little over 24 hours.

 

[Chiko]

I've got some bad news. I came home from church to find 2 of my d'Uccle babies dead. They drowned in the water bowl. Somehow the momma hen got back in the pen and the babies discovered the water

I felt bad for her so I gave her my 6 new ameraucana babies. Hope she takes them,

 

[Animalian]

Quote:
Most 'prey' animals are naturally afraid of overhead movement/contact because they get attacked from above. They're also naturally terrified of being picked up, because in the wild being picked up meant you were caught and about to be eaten, so it needs to be avoided at all costs!

Try coming from below and stroking their breast or side of the neck rather than their backs or from above/behind.

 

[lilcrow]

Quote:
Most 'prey' animals are naturally afraid of overhead movement/contact because they get attacked from above. They're also naturally terrified of being picked up, because in the wild being picked up meant you were caught and about to be eaten, so it needs to be avoided at all costs!

Try coming from below and stroking their breast or side of the neck rather than their backs or from above/behind.

X 2
Absolutely, when I put my hand in to "mess with them," they always respond better to having my hand under their eye level. I scratch my babies and even adults on the lower breast.........coming from below them. Even the most skittish birds are less frightened using this method.
One other thing I've noticed is, certain lines can be more flighty and fearful than others. Unfortunately, I had some chicks in the beginning that never did settle down completely. They're not here any longer.
Nancy

 

[lilcrow]

Quote:
The babies drowning doesn't have as much to do with the momma hen getting back in with them and showing them water as it does with the type of water delivery system you set up. I lost a baby chick that was a couple of weeks old because I left the birds regular large bowl in the run. I felt horrible and stupid because I know better if I had just taken a minute to think about it. The babies will jump up on the side of any container and think nothing of jumping off toward the middle rather than turning around to leave. When I have week old chicks and younger.............sometimes even babies that are older if they're very little, I use one of the plastic water bottles with the red bottom AND I put gravel or something in the little trough so they can't fall in and drown. Just last week I had a VERY small shallow bowl with pastry weights in it and the littlest baby fell/got pushed into it and was laying on it's back in the process of being drowned. It was luck that I was close by and heard it's plaintive little cries. I got to it quick enough and dried it off quick enough that it was OK. One more disaster averted. So my recommendation is check how you've got your water set up.
Oh, and watch that hen with those other babies............it would not be to surprising if she killed them........I hope not though.