To Catch a Chicken

[Shanny123]

I "crate trained" mine! I have small wire crate that has a front door and a door on top of the crate. I sprinkled meal worms in it and left the door open. They had no issues going in and out. After doing that for several days, I would quietly close the front door for a minute or two. After doing that for a couple days, I would then close the front door and reach in through the top and pick them up individually. This does take a bit of time but all positive reinforcement does. I now have chickens want to be picked up! Good luck. I found this method non-stressful for the birds plus I go to bed when they do at night and did not want to wait till they were roosting to pull them off

Awesome! Great idea. Thank you.

 

[cluckcluckhens]

All the chicks we got in May stand in front of their door in the run and as soon as I enter they are by my feet. Here is a few we have tried. I feed them so they should come to me but just recently my hubby tried something, we have a hand made dog house sorta, it is to keep them dry if it rains. He sits on the top all the chicks and a hen will come near his feet while passing out treats. Me, I can just walk into the run and they are by my feet. Yep, even though we held them for weeks they still do not want held. Stand in run with food or snacks when they are around your feet in the front just bend over and pick one up otherwise, you will be chasing them around the run to catch them. I have and very tiring trying to do this. Our Sex Link we had many years ago I could point my finger at her and she would not move and just starred at it. Then I bent over and picked her up. That was cool.

 

[Mrs. K]

Some breeds really do not like being held. I don't ever hold mine, I just watch them.

 

[trudyg]

So here I am, 20 days later, have gone out every single evening with snacks (soldier worms) and still none of them even let me stroke them. They'll eat out of my hand but can't touch them without them freaking. I'm thinking I'll fashion a hook from a clothes hanger and, while I'm passing out treats, snag one and see what happens. I did manage to grab one once, she had a big dingleberry hanging off her bum, and the roo got all puffed up and loud. Just being their guardian. I'm still working at it.

 

[Cryss]

I am hoping to set up a brooder and get day olds next time I get chickens. I usually get them at about5 weeks old so I don't have to brood them. I want to handle them so they get used to it. My girls now will happily greet me, ring round my feet, eat from my hand, and peck my legs/feet/clothes if they think I am too slow with treats. They simply don't want me to touch them. Only one squats, Nugget. And Bunny is slow so I can swipe he soft back as she passes by. I miss Roopecca being young and friendly before he became the man of the coop.

 

[Mary Chapman]

Either catch them at night or have a door that closes on the coop, run them inside, and close the door. I catch mine with a big fishing net.

 

[Floridachicks3403]

My chickens are not wild. Therefore when I throw a treat on the ground at my feet, I just pick them up. I only have four Rhode Island Reds that makes it easy to make pets out of them.

 

[Vicker]

I failed at using a hook. Like some others have said, it's pretty easy to pick them off the roost at night without causing too much of an uproar. If you hold their wings against their bodies and turn them over, they typically don't struggle or squawk. There seems to be no rhyme or reason why some birds are super flighty and others want to sit in your lap. Sometimes they like to cuddle as chicks but won't let you near when they get bigger. I've had some that wouldn't come near until they became old ladies. In general, the most pet-like hens in my flocks have been one of the red breeds.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

My child tamed a chicken over my objections. She was 10, and lonely. She got one to squat and not run from her, and before you know it she started picking it up and carrying it around like a kitten. I again advised against it, but what does Grandma know? It was fun. She sang to it, talked to it.... I advised that being accustomed to being picked up made it vulnerabke. And then a coyote came. Most of the flock scattered. But the tame one just sat there and let herself be picked up and carried away. I think chickens need an element of wildness to protect them.