How to catch a chicken...Any ideas?

[nancy1zak]

We purchased a saddle to put on our EE that gets her feathers yanked out on a regular basis. The only problem is catching her is really hard. Any ideas, tricks? I was thinking of throwing a blanket over her>

 

[buckbeak]

Wait until dark and quietly and gently pick her up off the roost. You can avoid lots of stress for both you and the chicken if you do it that way.

 

[nancy1zak]

That sounds good. How long after they are on their roosts should I wait? Even after 30 mins when I go out they are still finding their positions on the roost.

 

[bigdaddyabc]

Quote:
You are a GENIUS! I have been using a small net on my "difficult" birds. 90% are not a problem, but those 4 or 5 are gonna get picked up in their sleep. Now I just hafta be more sneaky.

 

[PeepsInc]

If your gonna saddle that chicken you need to get a chicken lasso to catch them.

 

[buckbeak]

You really only need to wait until it is dark when they can't see very well. I try to get them from the top and back with hands firmly over the wings so they can't flap. Then draw them in to your body and put your arm under their feet like you are holding a football so they feel they are resting on something. No drama!

We do all of our chicken catching like this, unless there is some medical emergency that has to be done in daylight.

 

[nancy1zak]

Once I catch the chicken from the roost, can I take her out of the coop and put her back in without drama? I can't imagine she will like that saddle that much. Hope it doesn't keep her up all night.

 

[SpringChickens]

You should be able to. Mine actually minded the saddles a lot less than I thought they would.

 

[nancy1zak]

I hope she doesn't pitch a fit about the saddle. If she wakes up with it on....maybe it won't be so bad.

 

[nancy1zak]

how long did you leave the saddle on?