Training chickens not to run

[Chris H.]

we been sitting in run with chickens feeding out of our hands. And allowing them to sit in our laps so they won't run away when we go to pick them up. I hate chasing them around every time I do a health check or need to move Them around. Anyone have any other ideas or suggestions that might help tame these guys. My step son Tyler is n the picture with our faverolles who seem to enjoy being petted and like to follow us around when we walk.

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• Chris H.
• Nov 15, 2017

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Chickens are prey animals. Most do not like being grabbed. It's an instinct to fight and try to get away. If you handle them more as chicks many can become quite friendly and are easier to pick up. Some will never be comfortable no matter how much they are handled.

 

[TalkALittle]

My birds were hand raised and pretty easy to handle. They eat from my hand, perch on me when I sit in a lawn chair, and come running to me when I go out in the yard. Even still, I've found that leaning over them and reaching out to them triggers their instinct to dart away. I have a table in my run that I have often "rewarded" them for jumping up on by presenting them with scratch seed and mealworms up there when they do. Once they are waist height and I can reach/approach from the side they are much more relaxed about being picked up.

 

[aart]

I do my health checks off the roost at night after it's good and dark,
wearing a good headlight so I can see, much easier to 'catch' them then.
But I have a roomy walk-in coop in a large shed with a chair and table outside the coop area.

 

[birdofhermes]

mine listens when i tell him to stay but i'm not sure how easy it is to put time into doing this with multiple chickens at once

 

[Toothpick]

I've got 6 that we raised from chicks and I can reach down and pet them and grab them. They quickly walk away but not fast enough to be grabbed. It's like they know I'm not going to harm them but they just can't fight the urge to get away so they just casually walk. We held them a lot as chicks and growing up. And I made sure every time I fed them I said "chick chick chick" to them so they know those words and come running.

Then we have 22 that are in a separate pen. The only chance I have of grabbing them is a sneak attack. They know to come running when they hear "chick chick chick". And they will follow me around the yard. But when I reach to grab them POOF they are gone. They were raised from chicks too and we held them as much as we could but with so many it was fruitless. I have learned that it's easier to catch one if I squat and kind of level the playing field. They will actually get closer to me and peck my shoes or buttons on my clothes if I'm squatted. For some reason they feel more comfortable. I try to talk to them every time I'm out there too. And feed them something. Just anything that will help get them used to me.

 

[Chickassan]

If you've absolutely got to pick them up support their feet. I don't know if dangling upsets them or what the deal is there but allow their feet to have contact with something and you should have less trouble.

 

[Fairview01]

Make your own poultry hook out of #9 wire, leave them in the run and catch whichever one you want. They get wise to the hook pretty fast and know what I'm up and will scatter like marbles on a hardwood floor but eventually I get the one I want under the coop and then it's just a matter of time before I can snag a leg and drag them out.

 

[Fairview01]

Oh yeah, the other thing I did was under the coop the catch area is only about 3' wide. Before that the ambush area was as wide as the coop -12' wide. They could evade e very easily. When I subdivided that area and created a 3' wide area they can't get past me easily and if they try I can usually nap them with my hands.

A catch is a catch weather its pretty or not.