I cant help it...

[Kusanar]

You always have your voice with you. Do you always have your clicker? Clickers were originally used to train dolphins, which happen to click to communicate. Yes you can use a clicker to train other critters, but why? You can also use a whistle or a trumpet, but why? Dolphins hear a clicker better than a voice. Your chickens can hear your voice. Save a step in training and use your voice. My opinion.

I believe the logic is that if you say "good!" is the hen taking what she was doing when you said the "g" or what she was doing when you said the "d", a click is much more sudden, it is also unlikely that you will click randomly all of the time when around the birds and confuse them, if you use your voice they MAY think everything you say is directed at them.

I can see both sides, but that's one reason for a clicker over just voice.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I believe the logic is that if you say "good!" is the hen taking what she was doing when you said the "g" or what she was doing when you said the "d", a click is much more sudden, it is also unlikely that you will click randomly all of the time when around the birds and confuse them, if you use your voice they MAY think everything you say is directed at them.

I can see both sides, but that's one reason for a clicker over just voice.

Makes sense. The important things are timing and consistency. One of the best things I ever learned about training was from "The One Minute Manager," by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson, both PhD's. They said, "catch 'em doing it right." With animals, split-second timing is critical. Not because animals don't remember what they've done, but because you have no other way to communicate approval.

One of my students was having trouble getting her dog to sit. He'd sit for a fraction of a second then stand. Watching her, I saw that she'd pet and praise, not while he was sitting, but as he was standing back up! And she'd make big fuss over him, fluffing his ears, leaning over to kiss him, telling him what a great dog he was. She was actually training him to touch the ground with his butt and immediately bounce back up. Timing is everything when training animals.

We got her to ignore him if he stood up, and Heel forward. Once she calmed down, so did he. Gradually she was able to just quietly say, "good boy," and he'd sit longer. Then we were able to introduce the Sit-stay.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

The book I referenced is about managing people, not animals, BTW.

 

[Chickassan]

You're in Scotland so I don't know what pet shops you have there.
You can buy them online, even Ebay has them in fact that would be an easy route since you could pick a close shipper.
They tend to be MUCH cheaper on there too.
Tip, order extra put cereal in a plastic bin add a chunk of potato on top for moisture, dump your extras in the bin
Light some candles, put on some romantic music, slide the bin out of sight and make your own mealworms.
It takes a while but those buggers are nothing but hungry or randy their whole lives and that is wonderful if you want pretty much endless nearly free worms.

Where on earth would I get those from? It would be fun to watch them all I think.

 

[goldysgirl]

Just guessing here, but if you press on her legs I think she would back up. Try pressing slightly UP where the legs (the drumsticks) meet the body as you give the command or cue. You want her to feel just slightly off balance and motivated to step forward and up. There is a video on here somewhere of a gal that trained her chicken to fly up to her arm as she is standing up. She no doubt started by having the chicken climb up on her arm, then lefted her arm higher and higher. I'll see if I can find it.

Aaaah! You called them drumsticks haha!

 

[goldysgirl]

You always have your voice with you. Do you always have your clicker? Clickers were originally used to train dolphins, which happen to click to communicate. Yes you can use a clicker to train other critters, but why? You can also use a whistle or a trumpet, but why? Dolphins hear a clicker better than a voice. Your chickens can hear your voice. Save a step in training and use your voice. My opinion.

I agree totally! Not a fan of clickers since you can use your voice and it is always with you.

 

[Folly's place]

I think that a clicker is just one more thing to manage, and would much rather make a sound that the bird hears immediately, without also holding another thing in my hand.
Mary

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Aaaah! You called them drumsticks haha!

Lol. They also have breasts and thighs, wings and backs, so.... ? I figured it was a term anyone familiar with chickens would easily understand. What would you prefer I called them?

 

[goldysgirl]

Lol. They also have breasts and thighs, wings and backs, so.... ? I figured it was a term anyone familiar with chickens would easily understand. What would you prefer I called them?

I thought drumsticks was perfect and hilarious haha! Laughed my butt off.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I thought drumsticks was perfect and hilarious haha! Laughed my butt off.

Cool. It just never occurred to me to call them anything else, lol!