It does help to talk to your chickies !

[moodlymoo]

I have 1 of 14 chicks who knows my voice. She was always the smallest chick and so for some reason I held her most. We had a traumatic day with the murder of 2/3 of our original flock and then a brooder fire all in the same day. She is the sole survivor. So every time I go to the coop I call her and she runs to the window to watch me come. She also gets upset when I hold other chicks. She will chase every one away from me as to protect me and if I manage to pick someone else up she starts jumping at me and being very loud like she is having a tantrum

 

[spacecowgirl]

I talk to my chickens, too. I can't help it!! My sons, and husband, and neighbors, and friends have all caught me in the act at one time or another, and love to laugh and poke fun at me.

But I can call my oldest hen by her name and she comes running to me just like a puppy. ( Who's laughing now? )

 

[EM Squared Farms]

Aw......thanks you guys ! Now I don't feel so crazy after all !

It feels so impersonal to have a silent relationship with your animals. I even talk to my goats (and they make noises in response)

Maybe it's just a mothering instinct.

My husband tends to whistle at the chickens, like trying to teach them the "wolf whistle" (like when a construction worker would whistle at a hot woman walking by).

I know with some of those hookbill/parrots (that are known to talk), they act all jealous and stuff and demand your attention.

Glad to know so many of you talk to your chickens and other animals too. I think it's nurturing. I'm sure yelling at them is not so nurturing. I remember yelling at my dog to go home and not stalk this squirrel and I think it scared him and he made a run for it and led to it's doom.

I guess it's a form of conditioning. If you say a certain phrase or "melody of your sentence" before feeding food or treats, they associate that sound with food !
Didn't that scientist Pavlov do that with ringing a bell before feeding the dog, and when he rang the bell, the dog would start drooling or salivating, because he knew food was coming next.

I wonder if one day chickens can be trained to do tricks by learning cue phrases, like walk up the ramp, fly up on my shoulder, who knows. Can you guys imagine a chicken circus ? I've seen dog and horse shows at the circus ! Why not chickens ?

That would be a great outlet for all those unwanted cockerels. If they could be trained to perform tricks and be in a chicken circus at the Fair !

Something to work on....

 

[dwegg]

yes my girls know the sound of my voice and come running when I call out.."Guy, Guys!" It started when they were chicks with me announcing when I came into the room with "Hey Guys!" "How are you guys?"...Now I just say, "Guy. guys!"

Even when there are other people all around I can say.."Guy, Guys!" and they will find me out and come over...

 

[happima]

Just got my first four chicks a couple days. They can be handled, but aren't exactly excited when I put my hands in their brooder to clean, feed or pick them up. Any suggestions on ways to talk/interact with them to make them more comfortable with me. Any "baby chick speak " I should learn? I know it might seem a silly question, but I am asking in earnest.

 

[Tressa27884]

Several of my hens know their names. They will each come when I call them by name. Cracks me up!

 

[Hawkeye95]

I LOVE this post! In two more weeks, I've got baby chicks being shipped to me. I'm sure I would have talked to them anyway, but I'll be sure to make a point of it.

I usually have a running dialog with my dogs and my horses. As soon as I walk out of the house, I start talking to the horses- even if they are in the back pasture, they hear me. They know their names, too. Never heard of a chicken knowing her own name, but it stands to reason there might be a tempo, or singsong quality about it that they associate with love, attention and food. I'm just glad that you got your chicken back. I lost my turkey the other day, and she comes when called, too. But she must have been so far away she didn't come when I called or answer back. I was out for about 40 mins looking for her before finally, I heard a faint call back to me. I just kept calling and finally she came running back to me. She had been down by the pond in the back of the pasture. The wind had knocked the top part of her door open and she loves the chance to get out. Usually she stays in the yard, so I was pretty scared when she was gone for so long. I always spoiled her, held her, and carried her around. She's a big turkey now and she still loves to be held and carried.

 

[EM Squared Farms]

Quote:
Hi, glad to see we're going through chickie rearing at the same time ! I only have 1 Marans chickie and he/she does run.

When I go into the room, I say "Hi chickie !" And I tell it how cute it looks today. Then I keep talking as I get close. Then when I reach my hand in, I do it slowly so it can see me coming to pick it up. Then I put it in the palm of my hand, covering it to make sure he/she won't fall. Sometimes I just carry it from the top (like a hand claw, that's fixed in the grip to give enough room - not too tight, but enough to hold it securely). Sometimes I just sit and watch them. It's fun to watch them fall asleep. They are so funny the way they lay down, stretching out their necks and wings.

As long as you talk softly and sweetly to them, I think it's good. And maybe if you keep the same pitch. I'm not sure if they really respond to words (maybe they do, some people say they know their names), but I just talk to them.

Good luck with your chickies ! Hope you post some pics.

Thanks,

 

[EM Squared Farms]

Quote:
Aw, I'm so glad you found your turkey too !

It's funny. When we (my husband and I) were working on the chicken coop, he didn't talk to the chickens. He would just walk into the pen and really scared them. They would make squawking noises and fly around all stressed out.

I scolded him and told him he needs to talk to them so they know he is coming and they won't be scared. So now he does talk to them before he enters the pen and they don't go all crazy. Now he just tries to teach them to whistle or at least get used to being whistled at.

They still do get a little scared when they hear the saw or when I'm up on the top tacking down fence.

But they're learning. Pretty soon construction of the coop will be done and one more pen to divide and they should be all set. Then it will be time to build things for the goats.

Thanks for sharing your story ! Just reaffirms how talking to them and letting them respond does prove useful at times !

They do make such cute noises in reply. It's just too adorable.

Take Care,

 

[Time-Out]

I took my little cockerel on a four hour drive to meet my family. My OH and I were going down to take some radiators off the walls in my dad's house. Simon, my OH, didn't really approve of me taking Orion, but I was full of excellent reasons, so he lost that one

At the house, there were two electricians (who should have finished by then). They wondered what Orion was. 'Chicken' wasn't their first thought lol. When I opened the cat transport box to let him out so he could eat and drink, everyone, including Simon seemed to go into panic mode. "The window's open, won't he fly out?""I'd better close the door.""The french windows are wide open, maybe he should stay in his box."... I just sighed and said he'll be fine. Well... people do panic over nothing, don't they? Orion was the perfect little gentlemen (to the point of leaving a dropping in my Oh's tool box). He followed me everywhere, would sit on the radiators while I wrapped them up, inspected the dust that hadn't been swept, pecked at the pipes, all the while chatting away. The electricians loved him! The youngest started answering his cheeps with whistles. By the time my dad came round to inspect our work, Orion was fast asleep on my shoulder. It's a hard life being a building inspector.

If I put him on my OH and call him (within a reasonable distance) he'll fly to me. He doesn't know his name, though, they all just get called 'chick'.

He's the bestest. He's a proper mummy's boy

I think, by talking to my chicks, I have made them really chatty. They are CONSTANTLY cheeping, chooking, whistling, chirping, squealing... I can't shut them up lol


Talking of wolf whistling... believe it or not, we have taught our degu to wolf-squeak. Animals just love the attention.