Getting hens from my aunt, how to catch them?

[sgtmom52]

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I think I would make sure that they are covered & in the dark as it would be less stressful esp. if they have never been confined. They also may do better in individual boxes so they don't hurt each other in the long drive home. Fresh air is very important too.
I don't know about them getting carsick?

Good Luck with your roundup!

 

[thepremo1]

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i dont get it?

 

[Kittymomma]

Let us know how it goes. I think the dog crate will be fine. You might bring a couple of extra boxes just in case you have one or two that are riled up. Have you decided what method(s) you're going to use? Transporting after dark will probably make things easier. I've never had a chook get car sick, but the only adults I've transported was on a fairly short (45 minute) trip.

Good luck and be sure to let us know how it goes. I remember a thread from around a year ago that was very similar in circumstances and went very well. Those chickens were hurricane survivors and had been living and reproducing on their own for a couple of years on a relatives property. They went in at night and caught a half dozen or so younger hens. If I'm remembering right it only took about a week for them to settle down and come up to her for treats and most were laying eggs by that time too. I hope it works out as well for you.

 

[Kittymomma]

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i dont get it?

Old joke/wives tale that if you sprinkle salt on the tail feathers they can't move. Hopefully I rememberd that right....

 

[sgtmom52]

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i dont get it?

Old joke/wives tale that if you sprinkle salt on the tail feathers they can't move. Hopefully I rememberd that right....

old saying, "You can catch a bird with your hand, if you first put some salt on its tail." This quaint expression has been thought to imply that, if one can get near enough to a bird to place salt on its tail, its capture is an easy matter.​

 

[MuranoFarms]

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Yep. My mom told me that. I spent a whole day chasing robins around the yard with a salt shaker!

 

[95yj]

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i don't think anyones saying it's impossible, just not the best situation for a beginner. These bird's will probably be nuts, and its gonna take alot of work to get them settled down, especialy if you have no experience with that sort of thing. Unless you don't really care about having birds that are friendly, but its usually good to be able to catch a bird in case of an emergency or something.

 

[ToastedSalmon]

Well, we rounded them up tonight and are headed home tomorrow (hopefully a 3.5 hr drive if no traffic issues) It was an interesting afternoon, to say the least

If you ever listen to those "you might be a redneck if" jokes, well, let's just say that most apply to my family. Especially the famous last words of a redneck, usually hollered w/ a beer in hand--"Hey y'all, watch this!" So, here I am setting up my dog crate w/ treats inside near a hen and two biddies that have been trying to keep away from the dogs. The hen was chasing the dogs earlier, and boy she was perturbed! My uncle and cousins decided that if we were going to catch chickens, they would show me how it's done, and got a net. My dad is over there laughing about how foolish it is to try to catch these birds. My cousins friend is swearing there's a song about pickin' like a chicken. My other cousin is trying to find the camera. Melee ensues and a dog manages to get the biddies. These chickens, mind you, have no real place to call home. They are free range, as in living wild, as in don't have a coop and usually roost in an outbuilding/barn type area, but often in the trees, and have been getting attacked by the dogs a lot lately

So, after several more attempts to catch chickens that were running away without a problem, we all went inside for dinner. After dark, we went to the roosting place we had found earlier, and with me holding the flashlight, one of the cousin's friends climbed up to the roost and grabbed a chicken by the legs from behind, handed it off to me and repeated the process. By then, everyone else had flown the "coop" (ha ha ha) and though we searched in the trees, they were able to escape us pretty easily. As we traipsed through what used to be a hog lot and is now overgrown brush, chasing a hen in the dark, the friend was doing his best Uncle Henry from Gone with the Wind--"I'm gonna get me this chicken. Even if you is the last chicken in Atlanta."

So, we only ended up with two, which is probably best, the more I think about it, both for our family/lot size and for the type of bird--see below...
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I do understand the warning and am going in w/ eyes open about the work involved. I've not kept chickens as an adult, but have been around them and have also had a cockatiel, so I have a tiny bit of bird experience. Not the same thing, of course, but a jumping off point, and I'm aware of the differences and at least some of the challenges...

That said, the plot has thickened. Before we came down, I tried to ascertain what kind of chickens these are, or get pictures, but never got any info. Now that I've seen them and done some googling, my best guess is Old English Game hen, whereas we are looking at getting some biddies and are thinking of heavy breeds that aren't flighty and are kid friendly (you know, opposite the game hen's description)

Anyway, that's our adventure so far. I'll post pictures when I can in the "what is it" forum, and let you know how the trip home went once we get there.

 

[Kittymomma]

Drive safe! It sounds like quite a day.

 

[sgtmom52]

You should have gotten it all on video ~ it may have been a $10,000. winner on America's Funniest Videos!