Hen and Rooster Pair as Yard Ornaments

[centrarchid]

Twelve chicks; 7 female, 5 male. Two eggs not hatched, one was rotten, other I moved with hen and brood to rabbit cage. I will be working on training brood ASAP with meal worms starting today. Chicks still have abdomens distended with yolk so movement will be minimal. I will see quickly if hen remembers value of rabbit cage when I release he in yard later towards evening.

 

[centrarchid]

Chicks in rabbit pen moved to front porch. Looks like sex ratio closer to 50:50. One I though was not grey likely is. Chicks and hen where ushered in and out of cage three times. Hen already has the point. Chicks got their fill of meal worms. Appetite not developed for most. Tomorrow the more intensive training will begin as will first exposure to chick starter feed. I want the whole lot to be super tame like their older half-brother Ace.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Chicks in rabbit pen moved to front porch. Looks like sex ratio closer to 50:50. One I though was not grey likely is. Chicks and hen where ushered in and out of cage three times. Hen already has the point. Chicks got their fill of meal worms. Appetite not developed for most. Tomorrow the more intensive training will begin as will first exposure to chick starter feed. I want the whole lot to be super tame like their older half-brother Ace.

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Cute chicks!

How do you train them to be tame?

 

[centrarchid]

I periodically hand feed them while making particular verbal sounds. Insects are the enticement. Live meal worms are my preferred since they are easy to acquire and store. I try to interact with brood at least twice a day. Having hen trained her self helps immensely although a trained rooster kept with group can also help. Most of my birds are exceptionally tame and will do pretty much anything as if you were not there.

No petting or grabbing.

 

[centrarchid]

Another step of training going on now. Hen released with brood in front yard. As I work on lawn equipment I periodically call hen and brood over to offer a small amount of meal worms. That way they associate my call, rather than me with the food. I have to hide the meal worm container. Several of my adult birds have figured out how to get lid off.

Hen crowed causing all rooster in barn / cockyard area to respond. The responders are > 100 yards away.

 

[centrarchid]

Another brood hatching in barn now. Kids counted nine with at least four more pipped.


Hen is Missouri Dominique. More than half of clutch from her sister that has zero extended black. This gal went broody after laying only a couple eggs so I pulled her sister and broke her so she can be bred to a pure American Dominique.

 

[centrarchid]

White hen worked under the peonies for the whole day. Chicks with topped off crops.

 

[centrarchid]

Starting to see a change in foraging behavior. Blanca and chicks starting to more gleaning where they move about picking up eats without scratching for it. Energetically, it is much easier on all if exposed eats are abundant.

Blanca should now be a bottom of her weight curve in the broody cycle. Increased intake enabled by chick mobility means she can feed back up. This large brood has been particularly hard on her when it comes to allowing her to eat.

Ace, her son from previous brood is moving about usually about 50 feet away. He crows a little but does nothing positive for his younger siblings, yet. I will be watching to see how he operates with them about weaning time. I suspect he will be a gentle and low key leader even though immature.