- Jun 13, 2011
- 14
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I'm still new at this. I have two RIR pullets are 3 months old and 3 EE's are 2 months old.
I'm trying to train them to be easy to catch by trying to keep them close to me (when they're out of their cage & coop in our small fenced backyard) by showing them the good spots for bugs. If I start to "scratch" in the dirt they'll come over to see what I've found and I can usually gently catch them while they're distracted looking for bugs. I'm also trying to take them (one at a time) from the coop for about 15 minutes of one-on-one time to pet, talk softly, look for bugs for a few minutes and then be picked up again for more gentle scratching and talking, another bug hunt, pick them up and then back to the coop.
Can chickens be trained to be comfortable around humans and choose to be close enough to them to be easily caught, or do they all turn a little wild and become harder to catch as they get older? I make "cheep-cheep" noises when I show them food, but they don't respond to verbal cues, they only respond and come when they see me scratching for bugs.
Ok, I'm probably nuts and I try not to do my mother chicken antics when anyone can see me. I don't know if chickens can be trained.
Is there anything else I should be doing with them to make my life with them easier in the future?
I'm trying to train them to be easy to catch by trying to keep them close to me (when they're out of their cage & coop in our small fenced backyard) by showing them the good spots for bugs. If I start to "scratch" in the dirt they'll come over to see what I've found and I can usually gently catch them while they're distracted looking for bugs. I'm also trying to take them (one at a time) from the coop for about 15 minutes of one-on-one time to pet, talk softly, look for bugs for a few minutes and then be picked up again for more gentle scratching and talking, another bug hunt, pick them up and then back to the coop.
Can chickens be trained to be comfortable around humans and choose to be close enough to them to be easily caught, or do they all turn a little wild and become harder to catch as they get older? I make "cheep-cheep" noises when I show them food, but they don't respond to verbal cues, they only respond and come when they see me scratching for bugs.
Ok, I'm probably nuts and I try not to do my mother chicken antics when anyone can see me. I don't know if chickens can be trained.
Is there anything else I should be doing with them to make my life with them easier in the future?