No photos, because DH and I needed all 4 hands for this wrestling match.
The Splits had outgrown their bands and because of the current setup's limitations, getting them off the perch at night is not feasible. Therefore I left everyone closed up until we'd had a cup of coffee then went out to capture chickens.
We weren't able to lure any of them to come through the door, so we had to unstack the metal roofing and lift the lid. DH lifted and I bent in to grab chickens. Once we had each of them -- which was no easy job -- the banding was simple. I put each pullet into a football hold with her head in my left armpit and used my right hand to secure the necessary leg. He then replaced the band.
But after two successful operations, Blue got out while I was catching Lickety (red). I already had Lickety in my hands and my shoulder was not sufficient to deter Blue from flying out through the narrow gap.
So we had to rebuild their coop while they settled down and then stalked them around the pen until we managed to corner the group behind the broody-breaker. Naturally, Blue was in the middle of the group on the bottom of the huddle.
I tried to get her legs and she launched -- straight into DH's chest.
He managed to catch her by crossing his arms so that she ended up pinned against him upside down with her unable to move and him not daring to move while I worked my way around the broody breaker and figured out how to get hold of her more securely.
Of course she was the one whose band was most in need of changing. Not threatening to dig into the leg, but no longer sliding freely.
It was very good of DH to help me with this. He's indulgent of my chicken obsession, being very much interested in sustainability, but doesn't really do much in re: their care and handling.
The Splits had outgrown their bands and because of the current setup's limitations, getting them off the perch at night is not feasible. Therefore I left everyone closed up until we'd had a cup of coffee then went out to capture chickens.
We weren't able to lure any of them to come through the door, so we had to unstack the metal roofing and lift the lid. DH lifted and I bent in to grab chickens. Once we had each of them -- which was no easy job -- the banding was simple. I put each pullet into a football hold with her head in my left armpit and used my right hand to secure the necessary leg. He then replaced the band.
But after two successful operations, Blue got out while I was catching Lickety (red). I already had Lickety in my hands and my shoulder was not sufficient to deter Blue from flying out through the narrow gap.
So we had to rebuild their coop while they settled down and then stalked them around the pen until we managed to corner the group behind the broody-breaker. Naturally, Blue was in the middle of the group on the bottom of the huddle.
I tried to get her legs and she launched -- straight into DH's chest.
He managed to catch her by crossing his arms so that she ended up pinned against him upside down with her unable to move and him not daring to move while I worked my way around the broody breaker and figured out how to get hold of her more securely.
Of course she was the one whose band was most in need of changing. Not threatening to dig into the leg, but no longer sliding freely.
It was very good of DH to help me with this. He's indulgent of my chicken obsession, being very much interested in sustainability, but doesn't really do much in re: their care and handling.
