My Tektronix poultry hook

[GarlicEater]

I learned recently of this good thing called a "poultry hook", and decided I wanted one. There's a place online selling them CHEAP and look to be really good ones, like hand down to your kids good. But, I wanted one that cost me $0, and I wanted it a bit shorter than the 4ft the commercial ones were, I wanted about 3ft to use in my large coop/run.

Tektronix is a company best known for oscilloscopes. It's been said they invented the modern oscilloscope as we know it. A lot of their classic tube based equipment had a chromed steel rim around the front, which is basically a chromed wire force-fit on there. I decided to use one of those. Some work with simple hand tools (most notably vise-grips) later, I had a dandy hook. I took an old file handle and put that on it, and hung it up to let the glue dry.

A couple of days later, today to be exact, I finally had a chance to use it. I finally had a buyer for my extra 6 chickens. One was a nonproducing hen, the rest roosters - 4 young semi-psychos, and a psycho bantam. Catching everyone with the hook was easy! Of course there was a lot of chicken angst expressed, and the rest of 'em wonder about me right now, but it was FAR less traumatic than a net, and chase-n-grab is worst of all.

I highly suggest you buy the commercially available hook for outdoors, standard to large chickens, and basic longetivity. But this post is to show, they're not hard to make if you need one.

 

[justbugged]

Okay I learned about something that I did not know existed. It makes sense to use a hook like you have described.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

I've made a few here and there as needed out of wire. Usually it's whatever is laying around, welding filler wire or some smaller gauge aluminum or steel rod. I don't bother to put a handle on them, I just use one for a while, lose it somewhere, and make another.

They do work quite well.

 

[silkiechicken]

You defaced your Tektronix silly scope!!!

On a sadder note, I've noticed all the new stock vice grips are now made in china.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
Just shape some stiff wire like in the photo. You can come up behind them, snag a leg and pull them toward you until you can get the other hand around both legs.

 

[GarlicEater]

MY Vise-grips were made in the USA, lost in the USA, and found on a road right here in the USA by me, while walking back home from a ride on the bus driven by an at least ostensible US citizen so there.

I not only defaced that o'scope, I completely disassembled it, boxed up the good components for the guy paying me to do this, and took the aluminum and wire to the recyclers. So there.

Chickens don't seem to have a sense that something small and skinny near their legs may suddenly grab and invert them, it's kind of outside of their idea of "things that could happen" so as awful as a "poultry hook" sounds, unless you have real lap-chickens, it's a great way to get ahold of them,