Hands-Off the Chicken

[BantyChooks]

Very interesting that some techniques work on ducks but nope for chickens. I guess they are just smarter than we are.

The differences in ducks and chickens are incredibly interesting. Like Zach said, ducks behave much more like cattle than chickens will. I think the disparity could be best summed up as pressure lines vs pressure circles. Ducks/cattle have circles; chickens have lines. If you unbalance that lined pressure point even slightly, they shoot off in an entirely new direction to escape it. Makes herding them hard and herding a group impossible.

 

[Criticalicious]

Supposedly if you want super cuddly friendly chickens, a few bantam breeds like oegb and d'uccle love attention. Larger breeds can be docile but not of a size for picking up. Some people have a knack for convincing chickens to accept and seek out affection; I wish I knew how they do it. Having only one breed myself (black copper marans) I can tell you that every bird in my flock is an individual and their moods change on any given day and from moment to moment. Sometimes they're OK being picked up and health-checked and sometimes they flee in terror. They often relax if I hold them firmly under the breastbone, feet dangling, wings pinned if possible, and if necessary, gently turned on their side by 45-90 degrees.

Some of my hens - only if nobody's looking - will let me pet their backs while they're standing on the ground or walking past me. They act like it's a rooster event and no big deal. Sometimes one or more will follow me around and I'll flip things over for them to check for worms and bugs to eat. I also crush snails when they find them. One thing that's consistent, they're more likely to come running towards me when I have special treats and they recognize the treat container from 50 yards.

 

[Zach123]

Understanding the behavior of chickens is probably lacking because it doesn’t take a lot of effort to reach into a cage and grab one. Larger animals on the other hand can be more unwieldy and loading cows onto a trailer takes significantly more effort and technique than stacking crates full birds. If the average poultry farmer had to actively drive a flock of chickens from one pasture to another or herd them through a corral and onto a trailer there would likely be more investigation into how to do it better.

But that doesn’t mean it can’t be done or that it has to be studied at universities by prestigious animal behaviorists. What it would take is someone who has the time and desire to spend days with their flock and studying their behavior. While it has been mentioned here that is dependent on personality and that "each chicken is an individual" I believe that is not the whole story. Every type of animal, including humans, has patterns of behavior. Things we can expect them to do, ways in which we can anticipate them to respond to certain stimuli. We would just need the time to observe and find the patterns. Now, if time was only something I could get more of....

 

[Zach123]

This was an interesting read:

Fear in Poultry
http://www.poultryhub.org/production/husbandry-management/poultry-behaviour/fear-in-poultry/

One thing sticks out from the article "...A current limitation is that our understanding of the human behaviours that affect birds’ fear responses is poor...When more information is available on the specific factors affecting the fear of humans seen in poultry, the most suitable method(s) and appropriate training, if required, can be developed."

 

[Diana_burns04]

I picked mine up!!. From day one!! They are pets!! I name mine!! Mine sleep, on me!! They sit on me!! They make each other jealous

 

[rosemarythyme]

If you unbalance that lined pressure point even slightly, they shoot off in an entirely new direction to escape it. Makes herding them hard and herding a group impossible.

I can attest to that, though I think I've gotten pretty good at telling when one is about to jet off in a different direction.

I do "herd" mine each afternoon, walking behind them and waving a pooper scooper to direct them where to go, but I'm curious as to how many chickens becomes too many to manage in such a way.

 

[BantyChooks]

I can attest to that, though I think I've gotten pretty good at telling when one is about to jet off in a different direction.

I do "herd" mine each afternoon, walking behind them and waving a pooper scooper to direct them where to go, but I'm curious as to how many chickens becomes too many to manage in such a way.

It's certainly possible. I used to put my entire flock in their coop midday when I had a schedule that required being gone at dusk. This was back when they were in a run, not free ranging. I have ~30 right now, and I definitely can't herd them all at once!

 

[kcan2]

It's certainly possible. I used to put my entire flock in their coop midday when I had a schedule that required being gone at dusk. This was back when they were in a run, not free ranging. I have ~30 right now, and I definitely can't herd them all at once!

Would you have any suggestions to get them in from free-ranging midday without force? Did you just wait to feed them, and put the food in the coop? I believe that is how my problem started: I would capture my chicken (from free ranging) before he was ready and he started learning to avoid me at any close proximity. If I had only known of a way to make him go more willingly it would have helped!

 

[kcan2]

I picked mine up!!. From day one!! They are pets!! I name mine!! Mine sleep, on me!! They sit on me!! They make each other jealous

I am jealous!

 

[BantyChooks]

Would you have any suggestions to get them in from free-ranging midday without force? Did you just wait to feed them, and put the food in the coop? I believe that is how my problem started: I would capture my chicken (from free ranging) before he was ready and he started learning to avoid me at any close proximity. If I had only known of a way to make him go more willingly it would have helped!

That'll do it. Not being the "bad guy" whilst interacting with them will go a long way towards currying favour with your birds.
I do not put them to bed early now that they're free ranging. Waiting to feed them works to some extent, but I found I always had a few uninterested stragglers that had filled up on grass and bugs.