- Thread starter
- #11
OlyChickenGuy
Songster
I clean the coop every few days, and yes, I did give him a bath as I said - I don't know why, but he tends to get dirtier quicker than anyone else. I suspect this has something to do with the fact that he hasn't been using a perch since I moved him from his isolation tank. I've been putting him up each night for awhile, and he's beginning to clue in, but since I got him, he tends to get ridiculously dirty ridiculously fast - NONE of my other chickens look as dirty as him. I think it's because he's so low to the ground?
Yes, they have bedding, and I do take them outside, but I live in a predator-heavy area. Hawks, coyotes, opossums, raccoons, etc., etc.... If I had a camera, I'd take some photos of him today, but all I have is a mediocre webcam. I suppose I could try a little later when the light is better, but as I stated before, when those photos were taken, yes, he WAS very dirty, but compared to any other chicken I've met or dealt with, I have NEVER had a chicken that's as much of a dirt-magnet as him - and that's not just faeces, either. I'm not exaggerating or kidding when I say he'll get that dirty after a few minutes outside... once I convince him that it's okay to move, and people have told me "chickens don't ROLL in stuff like dogs do." I can't help but retort that with, "Then you clearly haven't met MY chicken..."
I don't know what happened to him before I got him, but from the day I got him, he's been quiet, shy, reserved, doesn't like to spend time with the other chickens. He holds his tail low, and scrunches against the ground even for fuzzy chicks. He likes to find a corner and just... stay there, watching the other chickens, then scrunching up when another approaches him, pushing his shoulder against the wall. When I pick him up he makes some disgruntled noises, but puts up no fight whatsoever. Every now and then, he'll flap his wings a couple times and up the ante on his disgruntled noises, but for the most part he just flops. The ONLY thing I've seen him get excited over is chasing bugs, and even then he's cautious, watches them with only one eye, shifts his weight between his feet, and seems to just sit there and think to himself, "Is this a good idea? I don't know... I'm not really sure..." I thought for awhile that he was just apathetic and unhappy, when one day I left for a four-day-weekend, leaving the coop in care of my house mate. When I got back, I found him in a back corner, and I thought he was dead! He was lying on his side covered in faeces, sink and bones, dehydrated - it was awful. I gave him a bath, and cooked him some plain old beans and rice to get some protein into him, and ever since he's gone with me on travels. He GAINED weight the last travel that we went on, and he actually gets excited about going on car rides and on buses - his tail comes up, his head goes up, he starts making curious trilling noises...
The point being - he is a strange little boy with little quirks and nuances that I haven't quite figured out yet... one of which leaves him fairly sedentary ( even when I take him outside, I have to encourage him to explore, elsewise he'll just sit there, wherever I set him down, tuck his head into his dig ruff of neck feathers, like a statue for several minutes, then he'll start making unhappy noises ). I think that sedentary nature also has a lot to do with how dirty he gets, and so quickly... been trying to convince him to be more active, more engaged... like to get up on the perch I gave him, to defecate in a specific area, etc.... Hmm... I'll try to see if I can't get some better photos today, though - I'd have bathed him before taking those photos, but as mentioned, my photographer was leaving in minutes.
As for pan training...
A command word for defecating isn't necessary, but it will make the process easier, in my opinion. Since most people's reaction to finding out that my chickens are indoors is to ask, word-for-word, "What about when they poop?", I opted that "poop" and other common variations were NOT to be their command phrase, but instead they are taught to "go pooters". When given the command "Go pooters" they will generally defecate - if they need to, anyway. The way this is accomplished is by saying the command word or phrase any time that they defecate, and then giving them a reward ( food rewards are wonderful, but general praise and petting tends to get through to them just fine, albeit slower ).
The second step ( or first, if you choose not to go with a command word to defecate ), is to put them in the designated area you want them to defecate when they do, then reward them. You can use a bit of newspaper, a trash can, a pin tin, a litter box, even the toilet or bathtub so long as they're accessible to your chickens. I advise against toilet-training, though, since the lid tends to be slick, and they can fall in - especially if you have bantams or are training chicks, they can drown in the bowl. So whatever you choose, you set them there when they defecate, then reward - if using a command word, continue to use the command word, but hold it until you get to the area you want them to defecate.
Start timing how long it takes between defecations. For a new-born chick, this will be about every fifteen minutes. For an adult, it can be that or even up to a few hours. Since my Rhode Island Red ( 1/4 barred Plymouth Rock ) boy, Bo, has begun his pan-training exercises, he defecates much less frequently and has learned to "hold it" - he'll comfortably go up to five hours before he asks for a bathroom break. And ask he does, with a small, polite noise, and a small wiggle from foot to foot almost like a child's "potty dance".
Once your timing has been established, try to get them to the area that you want them to defecate BEFORE they defecate - and here's where the command word comes in handy. Give them they command word once you get there ( or if no command word, just wait for them to defecate in that area ), then give them a reward for going in that area. This is the wonderful part, because now the chickens are starting to get it, and they'll begin experimenting to see what earns your praise. This works with full-grown, adult chickens as well as chicks - and personally, I've found adults easier to train... except for little Sindri up there. He needs to be approached with a modified style, and each of your chickens will need personalized lesson plans, too, but in a nutshell, that's the road to pan-training your chickens!
Yes, they have bedding, and I do take them outside, but I live in a predator-heavy area. Hawks, coyotes, opossums, raccoons, etc., etc.... If I had a camera, I'd take some photos of him today, but all I have is a mediocre webcam. I suppose I could try a little later when the light is better, but as I stated before, when those photos were taken, yes, he WAS very dirty, but compared to any other chicken I've met or dealt with, I have NEVER had a chicken that's as much of a dirt-magnet as him - and that's not just faeces, either. I'm not exaggerating or kidding when I say he'll get that dirty after a few minutes outside... once I convince him that it's okay to move, and people have told me "chickens don't ROLL in stuff like dogs do." I can't help but retort that with, "Then you clearly haven't met MY chicken..."
I don't know what happened to him before I got him, but from the day I got him, he's been quiet, shy, reserved, doesn't like to spend time with the other chickens. He holds his tail low, and scrunches against the ground even for fuzzy chicks. He likes to find a corner and just... stay there, watching the other chickens, then scrunching up when another approaches him, pushing his shoulder against the wall. When I pick him up he makes some disgruntled noises, but puts up no fight whatsoever. Every now and then, he'll flap his wings a couple times and up the ante on his disgruntled noises, but for the most part he just flops. The ONLY thing I've seen him get excited over is chasing bugs, and even then he's cautious, watches them with only one eye, shifts his weight between his feet, and seems to just sit there and think to himself, "Is this a good idea? I don't know... I'm not really sure..." I thought for awhile that he was just apathetic and unhappy, when one day I left for a four-day-weekend, leaving the coop in care of my house mate. When I got back, I found him in a back corner, and I thought he was dead! He was lying on his side covered in faeces, sink and bones, dehydrated - it was awful. I gave him a bath, and cooked him some plain old beans and rice to get some protein into him, and ever since he's gone with me on travels. He GAINED weight the last travel that we went on, and he actually gets excited about going on car rides and on buses - his tail comes up, his head goes up, he starts making curious trilling noises...
The point being - he is a strange little boy with little quirks and nuances that I haven't quite figured out yet... one of which leaves him fairly sedentary ( even when I take him outside, I have to encourage him to explore, elsewise he'll just sit there, wherever I set him down, tuck his head into his dig ruff of neck feathers, like a statue for several minutes, then he'll start making unhappy noises ). I think that sedentary nature also has a lot to do with how dirty he gets, and so quickly... been trying to convince him to be more active, more engaged... like to get up on the perch I gave him, to defecate in a specific area, etc.... Hmm... I'll try to see if I can't get some better photos today, though - I'd have bathed him before taking those photos, but as mentioned, my photographer was leaving in minutes.
As for pan training...
A command word for defecating isn't necessary, but it will make the process easier, in my opinion. Since most people's reaction to finding out that my chickens are indoors is to ask, word-for-word, "What about when they poop?", I opted that "poop" and other common variations were NOT to be their command phrase, but instead they are taught to "go pooters". When given the command "Go pooters" they will generally defecate - if they need to, anyway. The way this is accomplished is by saying the command word or phrase any time that they defecate, and then giving them a reward ( food rewards are wonderful, but general praise and petting tends to get through to them just fine, albeit slower ).
The second step ( or first, if you choose not to go with a command word to defecate ), is to put them in the designated area you want them to defecate when they do, then reward them. You can use a bit of newspaper, a trash can, a pin tin, a litter box, even the toilet or bathtub so long as they're accessible to your chickens. I advise against toilet-training, though, since the lid tends to be slick, and they can fall in - especially if you have bantams or are training chicks, they can drown in the bowl. So whatever you choose, you set them there when they defecate, then reward - if using a command word, continue to use the command word, but hold it until you get to the area you want them to defecate.
Start timing how long it takes between defecations. For a new-born chick, this will be about every fifteen minutes. For an adult, it can be that or even up to a few hours. Since my Rhode Island Red ( 1/4 barred Plymouth Rock ) boy, Bo, has begun his pan-training exercises, he defecates much less frequently and has learned to "hold it" - he'll comfortably go up to five hours before he asks for a bathroom break. And ask he does, with a small, polite noise, and a small wiggle from foot to foot almost like a child's "potty dance".
Once your timing has been established, try to get them to the area that you want them to defecate BEFORE they defecate - and here's where the command word comes in handy. Give them they command word once you get there ( or if no command word, just wait for them to defecate in that area ), then give them a reward for going in that area. This is the wonderful part, because now the chickens are starting to get it, and they'll begin experimenting to see what earns your praise. This works with full-grown, adult chickens as well as chicks - and personally, I've found adults easier to train... except for little Sindri up there. He needs to be approached with a modified style, and each of your chickens will need personalized lesson plans, too, but in a nutshell, that's the road to pan-training your chickens!
