What is the best way to humanely and effectively catch multiple roosters/hens?

[Chkn_mama]

Aloha,

I am trying to open my own chicken catching business. I have taken a few jobs in the past and was able to complete the job during the day with man power and nets. Despite being successful, they terminated my contract because my methods caused too much disturbance. The new folks they hired use very inhumane methods but they’re more efficient than me for that reason. Is there equipment/other methods I could use to make myself more efficient but still humane?

Thank you for your input!

edit: traps have proven ineffective in the terrains that these jobs are done at

 

[CindyinSD]

The best way to catch chickens quickly and with a minimum of fuss is to pick them up off their roosts at night. If they must be caught during the day, you can make a snare stick for their feet. It’s a bit awkward to describe, but if you search YouTube you’ll find a number of videos for “how to catch chickens”. Do not catch waterfowl by their feet. Chicken feet are tough. So are turkeys. Ducks have delicate legs and feet, and must be caught in a net or by grasping them around the body.

 

[Chkn_mama]

The best way to catch chickens quickly and with a minimum of fuss is to pick them up off their roosts at night. If they must be caught during the day, you can make a snare stick for their feet. It’s a bit awkward to describe, but if you search YouTube you’ll find a number of videos for “how to catch chickens”. Do not catch waterfowl by their feet. Chicken feet are tough. So are turkeys. Ducks have delicate legs and feet, and must be caught in a net or by grasping them around the body.

The issue was more so that the trees on this property are 30 feet tall. So we would wait for them to come down and chase them from there. I made a snare stick but couldn’t get anywhere near the chickens to actually use it.

Is there a way for me to stun the chicken from a distance to minimize the time spent chasing? The new chicken guys have been more effective than me because they have been stabbing the chickens in the tree... net guns? BB guns? Stun gun? There has to be some more sophisticated devices for things like this.

 

[CindyinSD]

A net would get tangled (it seems to me) in twigs and/or leaves/needles. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a net gun outside the comics, but if there is such a (non toy) thing, Sportsman’s Guide probably sells them (on their website). A BB gun would likely kill or greatly harm the chicken. You can kill a human with a badly-placed BB. I also wouldn’t recommend paintballs.

Stabbing?

By stun gun I assume you mean a tazer. I think that would probably kill the chickens. It sometimes even kills some weaker humans. If the owners just want to rid their property of chickens, I’d recommend a .22 loaded with birdshot cartridges, but I would not do it for them. Too much liability exposure. This method may or may not be legal, depending on where the property is.

If you’re looking for a small business opportunity, I’d recommend a service to care for flocks while their owners are away. Assuming you live in an area with lots of chickens, that could be a viable route to consider, even more so if you include caring for family pets.

 

[chickens really]

Long pole nets are not cruel. Quickly catches the birds with minimal stress or trauma.

 

[Acre4Me]

Once read on BYC of using a pole with a T on top. Touch the back of the chickens legs somewhere so they naturally/instinctually step back onto the T. Lower the pole to catch. I’ve never used this method, but it was how a BYC poster would catch their chickens that had flown up into the trees.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Are we talking about feral chickens in Hawaii or such being removed because of nuisance issue?
That would take different methods then what I think most here are thinking.

 

[ColoradoPip]

The issue was more so that the trees on this property are 30 feet tall. So we would wait for them to come down and chase them from there. I made a snare stick but couldn’t get anywhere near the chickens to actually use it.

Is there a way for me to stun the chicken from a distance to minimize the time spent chasing? The new chicken guys have been more effective than me because they have been stabbing the chickens in the tree... net guns? BB guns? Stun gun? There has to be some more sophisticated devices for things like this.

Net guns anyone?
https://thenetgunstore.com/collections/net-guns


Maybe you could modify something like this to pluck them right out of the trees:
https://dronecatcher.nl/
A lot of this tech is focused on anti-drone stuff, but you could easily catch a chicken with it!

 

[The Moonshiner]

This company sells a lot of products for catching birds....

 

[CindyinSD]