Training a nervous bird

[Riverbend Farms]

Hello,
I have an 8 m/o d'uccle pullet who I am trying to train to pose but she will not stand still and flips out. She is a backup bird incase my main dies, so not much pressure on her. Should I try to calm her by bringing her in the house and doing things with her? Should I give up and get a different bird? All advice appreciated.

 

[FunClucks]

Hello,
I have an 8 m/o d'uccle pullet who I am trying to train to pose but she will not stand still and flips out. She is a backup bird incase my main dies, so not much pressure on her. Should I try to calm her by bringing her in the house and doing things with her? Should I give up and get a different bird? All advice appreciated.

you can try either of those things. Whether they work or not really depends on the bird. Some of it is personality and some of it is training.

My calmest around people hens were the hens that I had when we had a flood and my coop collapsed. I had to house them in my garage in XXL dog crates until I could rebuild the coop, which took longer than expected, a few months. I was in there doing food and water and shavings for them twice a day. By the end of the couple months, they had no fear of me or other people, and will walk right up to me in the coop, and right past me through the door. The other hens will scatter back when I approach, but not them. I think it was because I was so close to them for so often for so long. They are still my favorite, calmest hens, and the ones we talk for walks. But they started out with calmer personalities than my other hens too, because their dad was a Production Red, which is known to be a more docile breed. Their moms were, and still are, super flighty.