Tips giving pills to chickens?

[HerbtheRoostersDad]

I've been breaking the tablet into quarters and pushing them into blueberry halves, raspberries, little pieces of green bean and even peas. I do something different each time. Then I let my rooster eat them out of my hand. If he doesn't I pop them in his beak (not so difficult with some practice).

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I have now had a fair bit of practice at doing this solo and it is now one of the few things I feel quite confident doing. I am right handed. Here is what I do:
1. Catch chicken. Not easy in many cases. By far the best time is at night when they are roosting. If you have a headlight with a red light they really are hardly bothered at all. If it has to be in daytime I lure with sunflower seeds placed in a cup between my feet and when they are distracted by all the goodies I pick them up.
2. Tuck chicken under left arm and carry to something of counter-top height. Stand chicken on counter top and lean over her so she remains trapped under your left arm. Sometimes I use a towel burrito but usually I skip the towel and just confine her between my arm and my body.
3. With index finger and thumb of left hand pull chicken's head up - mine often want to shrink their head into their bodies at this stage so it helps to hold their head up.
4. With middle finger of left hand (and often using right hand to help) force beak open and wedge middle finger of left hand in open beak so she can't close it. Pulling down on wattles can help open the beak but not always. Once you have your middle finger between the upper and lower beak do not let go! It doesn't hurt.
5. With right hand take the pill and insert it above the tongue and to the nearest side of the mouth - think of it like putting it in their cheek if they had one. As soon as you have done that remove your finger from her beak and she will swallow it on her own.
6. Give chicken a treat - both because she deserves it and because it will reassure you that the pill went down!
7. Give yourself a treat. You definitely deserve it!

THIS! To summarize:
1. Do it at night. Remove bird from roost.
2. Tuck the bird under your arm like a football, pinning the wings, or wrap in a towel.
3. Pull down on the wattles or loose skin under the beak to open the beak.
4. Pop the pill in the beak and let her close her beak.
5. You're done! Unwrap, replace on the roost.