We need to have a counseling session. You are not alone in being fearful of harming your chickens with forceful handling. It's important to overcome this unless you have the luxury of an avian vet who will happily do house calls. Not bloody likely, especially since even people doctors don't make house calls.
First, try to convince yourself of the simple fact that chickens that cannot be handled regularly will be more apt to get sick from health disorders and injuries and die than chickens that are handled regularly.
Next, talk yourself into committing to a simple and brief training program to teach your chickens to come to you and to enjoy, yes ENJOY, being handled.
I briefly described how to clicker train chickens. This is how you begin to have chickens that can be handled. This process is very enjoyable for you and the chickens, so get a clicker or a little bell or some sort of audible signalling device you may even have in your junk drawer.
Meal worms and scratch grain are ideal training treats. Choose a time when you can relax and have fun and take the treat and signal device out to the run and sit down in a comfortable spot and begin by activating the signal at the same time you toss a treat near you.
They will come. They will already be associating the noise of the device with a treat. Do this a couple more times, signal and toss a treat. That's enough for the first time.
Next day, activate your signal and this time, hold the treat in your hand to force the chickens to take it from you. Do this a couple more times.
The next time, as a chicken takes a treat from your hand, touch them on the comb or neck below the beak. Make slow, gentle movements. Linger with your touching as a chicken permits it.
Do this training for the next week, increasing the amount of touching and when it appears a chicken is enjoying it, pick the chicken up and set them in your lap, stroking their cheeks below their eyes or their comb. These are "feel good" spots chickens all enjoy having touched lightly.
When other chickens see a mate on your lap enjoying this attention, they almost always want some, too, and will hop into your lap for their share. You might even find this enjoyable. You may discover how affectionate chickens can be and how much some crave being handled.
First, try to convince yourself of the simple fact that chickens that cannot be handled regularly will be more apt to get sick from health disorders and injuries and die than chickens that are handled regularly.
Next, talk yourself into committing to a simple and brief training program to teach your chickens to come to you and to enjoy, yes ENJOY, being handled.
I briefly described how to clicker train chickens. This is how you begin to have chickens that can be handled. This process is very enjoyable for you and the chickens, so get a clicker or a little bell or some sort of audible signalling device you may even have in your junk drawer.
Meal worms and scratch grain are ideal training treats. Choose a time when you can relax and have fun and take the treat and signal device out to the run and sit down in a comfortable spot and begin by activating the signal at the same time you toss a treat near you.
They will come. They will already be associating the noise of the device with a treat. Do this a couple more times, signal and toss a treat. That's enough for the first time.
Next day, activate your signal and this time, hold the treat in your hand to force the chickens to take it from you. Do this a couple more times.
The next time, as a chicken takes a treat from your hand, touch them on the comb or neck below the beak. Make slow, gentle movements. Linger with your touching as a chicken permits it.
Do this training for the next week, increasing the amount of touching and when it appears a chicken is enjoying it, pick the chicken up and set them in your lap, stroking their cheeks below their eyes or their comb. These are "feel good" spots chickens all enjoy having touched lightly.
When other chickens see a mate on your lap enjoying this attention, they almost always want some, too, and will hop into your lap for their share. You might even find this enjoyable. You may discover how affectionate chickens can be and how much some crave being handled.
