Training "stubborn" hens

[Apis mellifera]

Some of these responses have me wondering....do most people not have food available for their chickens 24/7? Since they have started free ranging, I have noticed a significant down tick in the amount of grain they are consuming, but I do still catch them returning to the run throughout the day to get water and grab a couple bites before heading back out.

Once the snow melts and things green up around here my flock consumes less than half of what they do during the winter, and they always have all flock or layer available. Goes to show you how incomplete feeds are. A simple fix to your problem, get more Australorps

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I am sort of in the same boat. I have an old cow bell i have been ringing when I go to lock them up and that is the only time they get treats. They put themselves to bed just fine it’s just a little late for my liking because I also have coyotes and raccoons. I am trying the cow bell because I don’t think they will hear me yelling like my last flock did in the backyard. If they’re up in the woods I don’t even know where they are to aim the yell so I started with the cow bell a few nights ago. Keep us posted how you get on! Lots of good advice so far and all worked for my old flock but I just feel like with more space I am going to try something a little louder than my own voice.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some of these responses have me wondering....do most people not have food available for their chickens 24/7? Since they have started free ranging, I have noticed a significant down tick in the amount of grain they are consuming, but I do still catch them returning to the run throughout the day to get water and grab a couple bites before heading back out.

Good points. Most of us do have food available any time they are awake and several of us have food available even when they are asleep.

When I train my dogs I use treats. One of them is so crazy over food that I could use her regular dog food but treats work for both. You don't get guarantees with living animals, about anything could happen, but treats are a standard way of training chickens too. It usually works.

The idea is to get then used to receiving something they really like when you call. That means be consistent, if you call them have a treat ready. A call could be a certain yell (mine is "here chicky chick"), shaking a bucket with treats, a bell, a lot of things. But it needs to be something that only happens when they get treats. Will it work on every chicken on the planet? No, probably not. But it will work on most of them.

 

[ChaosMom]

Good points. Most of us do have food available any time they are awake and several of us have food available even when they are asleep.

When I train my dogs I use treats. One of them is so crazy over food that I could use her regular dog food but treats work for both. You don't get guarantees with living animals, about anything could happen, but treats are a standard way of training chickens too. It usually works.

The idea is to get then used to receiving something they really like when you call. That means be consistent, if you call them have a treat ready. A call could be a certain yell (mine is "here chicky chick"), shaking a bucket with treats, a bell, a lot of things. But it needs to be something that only happens when they get treats. Will it work on every chicken on the planet? No, probably not. But it will work on most of them.

I’m going to try a bell. Whatever secret password (call) I dream up, I promptly start using it at other times. And I’m saying “chook chook” to the cat, so I’m not doing this well at all!

 

[Raubkatze]

Once the snow melts and things green up around here my flock consumes less than half of what they do during the winter, and they always have all flock or layer available. Goes to show you how incomplete feeds are. A simple fix to your problem, get more Australorps

I already did.

I have two more in the brooder along with three Speckled Sussex. The two in the brooder are very shy right now, but they are only two weeks old. The Speckled Sussex are much more outgoing.

 

[Raubkatze]

Taking food away at night and putting it back in the morning cuts down on other animals trying to get to it, like mice. The chickens aren't going to eat overnight.

My girls are trained to follow me when I call them. I started by making a smallish semicircle from one end of the run around to the other. I let them out in this area, then shook a bag of mealworm. I threw some worms into the run, and closed it when they went in.

The enclosure gradually got bigger, and they began to more reliably go in. Now (it's been a few year), even the newer girls come running when I call. They learn from the older ones.

Thankfully I haven't noticed evidence of any critters inside the run, but the door is open during the day. I think between me being out there multiple times a day with my dog lots of things are discouraged from coming around. I have also been feeding the local murder. There has definitely been an uptick in the amount of crows in my trees since I started.

 

[ChaosMom]

Thankfully I haven't noticed evidence of any critters inside the run, but the door is open during the day. I think between me being out there multiple times a day with my dog lots of things are discouraged from coming around. I have also been feeding the local murder. There has definitely been an uptick in the amount of crows in my trees since I started.

What are you feeding them? (the crows) Cracked corn? How far from the chickens do you feed them?

 

[Raubkatze]

What are you feeding them? (the crows) Cracked corn? How far from the chickens do you feed them?

Peanuts! We have a stump that was cut at about waist height in the middle of our yard that I've been using to spread them on. Our chickens are free to be in that area of our yard, though they mostly hang out in a different section that is more heavily wooded.

 

[Mrs. K]

I don’t feed 24/7. I did in the beginning. But it caused a couple of problems:

• A lot of feed was spilled, trampled into the dirt.
• Spoiled feed in the dirt smells and draws flies
• Birds became very picky what they would eat and wasted more feed
• Drew in mice and rats

I take down feed every day. If some is left, I feed less the next day, if it is all cleaned up, I feed more. What is crazy is there quite a variance day to day.

Mrs k