How do you become a chicken whisperer?

[backdoorchicken]

first you must live amongst them for years at a time.

and learn to enjoy being outside and sleeping while perching on a bar.

how do you feel about eating worms?

 

[alaina]

what do you use as an eye drop? I am curious, didnt know there was preventative for the mites? whats it called and where do you get it???

 

[savingdogs]

Quote:
I love all these ideas here, thank you everyone. But I don't particularly want to eat worms!

I'm much too chubby for the chicken bar.

And I really prefer to live in the house, the computer cord cord doesn't reach to the coop.

 

[larkflying]

My chickens are a lot friendlier when I am sitting on the ground, not looming over them. I second the move slowly and talk softly comments. I'd also say quantity of time is important -- you have to spend a lot of time with the chickens for them to remember what is going on.

Some of them catch on quicker than others. A lot of times our favorites / most tame chickens are the ones that needed extra attention as chicks. We had a cochin bantam rooster that was so weak as a chick we had to help him drink and eat several times a day. He grew up to be the sweetest chicken -- you could hold him on your hand and he would crow because finally he was so much bigger than all those other chickens. Really quantities of quiet calm sitting in the chicken coop will be the most helpful . . .

 

[Pele]

Hrm, chicken whisperer secrets....

I'd say the main one is food, food, treats, and food. Your chickens will think the world of you if they always get treats from you. I always train my babies with mealworms (which are mana from heaven to them). Even the most timid babies think I'm the best thing ever, and will come over for treats.

The second thing I do (and which works great on roos), is handle them as much as possible while they're young. You talk to them, hold them, etc. It is especially important to establish your dominance with your roos early on by holding your babies on their backs in the palm of your hand several times a day. I do this daily with all my babies, especially the roos. It is a very vulnerable and submissive position for them, so it becomes imprinted in their little brains that you are dominant to them. It also helps them accept that you don't want to harm them, because it doesn't hurt, and gives you the opportunity to give them bellyrubs.

This kind of handling translates even to the girls when they are older, not just the roos. The girls will consider you dominant as well, squatting for you instead of running away when you want to pick them up. The best part is that the roos will not attack you, and will live in permenant fear of being embarrassed in front of their girls with belly tickles.

 

[ChicKat]

Quote:
First, eye drops: ==> 'Oxy Rid'

but some background, I got my hen and two pullets from a listing on Craigslist in April. Then I discovered that they had (or at least one for sure) round worms. Then I saw a worm in the eye of one of the pullets. Sooo after much research, an on-line vet exchange, reading this and other forums, looking at picts. on the internet etc... I did this 1. wash the eye with bicarbonate of soda and water, repeat. 2. Find Vet Rx and while holding the chicken upside down, drip with a Q-tip Vet Rx into the upper beak. repeated this two times. 3. Research more on the internet and finally find a product in the Phillippines called 'Oxy Rid'. I applied this (two drops to cure, 1-drop once per month to prevent ) to chicken that had it, and the other two to prevent. I would hardly believe they really had them, except one of the pictures I took after treatment shows one up. So.... I decided to treat them monthly with eyedrops... Unfortunately the product isn't available in the USA. (that I know of). The product is only about $5 per bottle---but the shipping was horrendous. (don't ask). Then I think my poor smallest pullet had a couple of other ailments... so I make the joke that I bought the 'sickest chicken in the state.' This problem requires an intermediate host, and is probably only a concern for people who live in warmer places, like the Gulf States of the USA, warm parts of Australia, Hawaii and the Phillippines... I wouldn't worry about it if you live in climate that gets cool...

Second - For the scaley leg mites prevention: ==> Vet Rx

The Vet Rx bottle said that it was a preventative (a cure too, I think), so since I was going to be giving them eyedrops once per month, I just took a damp papertowel and scrubbed down their shanks and rubbed in some Vet Rx---and they loved it! This particular mite is invisible to the naked eye... and I thought why not prevent them from ever getting started. I only have 3 hens so it isn't quite like some folks that have big flocks. I think the objective is that anything gooey (vasaline would work too... but what a mess that may be in the dust) would cut off the air supply of a mite.

Vet Rx is also good for 'roup'...and I did have a discussion with a Poultry Vet about my 'sickest chicken in the state' about what to do for her respiratory problem. This is where I sometimes put Vet Rx under her wings at night. She is her own little vaporizer.

Now my three seem healthy and happy, and totally worm free and withdrawal completed, so we are enjoying an egg-a-day from each of them. I guess I go by bright eyes, big appetite, head and tail high and egg production to determine if they are healthy..

Hope that answers it.

P.S.
Next day Addition: Regarding Oxy Rid, it is safe even for chicks and there is no egg withdrawal, but I was speaking with a vet who told me that the chemicals in it are not approved for Meat birds in the USA. I got it on line at New Tree and I keep thinking I will lobby an online vet supply or pet supply in the USA to stock it--and keep forgetting to do that.