My chickens hate me!

[Sharksandguitars]

Mine love any thing like cake: cupcakes, fig nutens, muffins ect. But Ive had mine since week 1 and I played with them a lot

The only one leary of me is Boppity-Cochins, my bantam cochin. The other two bantams practically let me pick them up. They are about 4 weeks now.

 

[Fluffy2]

TODAY our 4 hens looove us. they are 2 months old and alot bigger than I ever imagined they would be at this age. Today we fed them the live meal worms from the feed store. Instant MAGIC.
We made alot of noise so they knew we had the worms then after feeding them several, we sat on the lawn, and put the worms into the lawn so that they had to pick them out of the lawn and our hands. Now they have already spent more time scratching and looking for lawn bugs. I was promised it would work and it sure did. NOW I understand why you would raise your own meal worms at $7.00 for a 10 minute food fest. x2. but it really did work.
Hope it helps.
The young lady at the feed store says she always finds a bug on the front door when she comes home and gives it to her hen. I know there are always bugs on my front porch to catch so I will try that too.
DOWNSIDE? They are looking in the glass door and pooping on step! and those worms went thru the hens soo fast, it seemed, they just sat BIG BIG BIG POOPS while feeding the worms. maybe my imagination.

 

[sj3364]

While my chicks were still in the brooder, I got a bag of crickets from the pet store and tossed them in with the chicks. They went nuts and those crickets were gone in less than a minute. I've been tempted to get some meal worms but they are so expensive. Someday I will have to splurge and pick some up.

 

[ChicKat]

I saw this link to a page from a post in another topic.....

Noodleroo is the poster -- I'm sure she would want to have you see this link

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=55921

That would give you a step-by-step plan.....

 

[ralleia]

Yes, they need to be confined to the coop until they can learn where "home" is. If they had a momma hen to show them how things were done, it would be different, but these are clueless adolescents on their own! Keep them in the coop for a while.

Also, when trying to get chickens to go somewhere, one needs to act like a herding dog. You approach the bird from a direction opposite where you want her to go. If she's calmly walking in the direction that you want her to go, then continue slowly approaching. If she freezes and gets nervous and starts to change directions, freeze, back off, and put pressure on her from another direction. Observe her actions carefully and herd her.

It's often easier with another "herd dog" though when you use your husband or your child, you normally have to bark directions on how the husband/child is to move/not move. Sheesh. You'd think that all humans would know how to be a herd dog.

 

[Sharksandguitars]

Quote:
That is a great link!

 

[bearchix]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I know I shouldn't chase them with the broom, however they ran into some bushes that I couldn't get into, and I could not get them to come out!! I have plugged up the hole where they escaped ow, so hopefully that won't happen again until I am ready to let them out.

I may have to try the meal worms. All of the other treats I have not tried to hand feed them, I have just left them in the run for them to eat on their own time, but they haven't touched them. They don't even seem to want to try anything different. Perhaps if I can get them to eat worms, they will try other things

Thanks again, I guess it will take some time.

 

[dretd]

Quote:
All of the suggestions have been really good. I dotto the meal worms. I have been getting the freeze-dried ones in a jar intended for reptiles. Start by putting a few on their food so they realize what they are, then once they are hooked then you can try hand feeding. If they dont go for the freeze-dried then try the smallest sized live you can get.

I have been known to use a broom or two (or sticks or flags-- I have a horse flag on a stick that works the best, actually) to help herd my girls when they are in the raspberry bushes and don't want to come out. Instead of chasing them, though (which only gets them stirred up), I will get behind them and use the flags as extensions of my arms--gently tap the ground to get them to go the other way and guide them. Otherwise they seem to run around me easily when they are stubborn.

Good luck!

 

[bearchix]

I have had a little bit of a breakthrough. They still run when they see me, but if I squat down with food in my hand, they will come and eat out of my hand. Small victories

I am now trying to get them to eat out of my hand every time I go in, so hopefully they will associate me with food eventually.

 

[cmom]

The best way to a chickens heart is through its stomach. FOOD and TREATS.