New Chickens

[648117]

My mum got five new chickens last week, today we will have had them for 7 days. Here's a clip of the second day that we let them out of their coop:

I'm thinking that I might try to train two of the chickens, one to do agility and the other to do rally-o .

Yesterday I went into their pen with some bread to determine which chickens are the friendliest (none of them seen particularly friendly at this point). Only two of them would take the bits of bread from my hands; the browny-white one (second out of the coop in the video) and one of the plain brown ones (there are two that look the same, not sure which chicken in the video was the friendly one but probably the first chicken out that came over to me at the end).
Today I'm going to try to hand feed them some peas to see if those two are still the friendliest and to try to make them friendlier.

Not sure how training will go but I'm thinking I might be able to use a target or a target stick to lure as I'm not sure luring with food will work. And I'll use a clicker

If all goes well then I will update this thread on their progress

 

[k9 crazed]

Oh, they are great fun! Try Scratch in a little bowl , and a clicker. and I'm sure you can get them to use a target stick too.
Here's a couple links in case you've not seen them
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=iZ-JnjBTkBw

 

[Mutt]

Chickens are great, sadly undervalued, pets!
If you want them to get used to you being around than you should only feed them by hand/place food close to you (in the beginning maybe a bit further).
Ooh and chicken agility it is possible

 

[madeleine]

Terry Ryan is all about chicken clicking. Even has clicker bootcamps where people learn how use the clicker. And that's yes, on chickens!!!!

 

[madeleine]

Good luck with the chickens!!!!!!

 

[648117]

They are getting tamer, the white and brown one (now called Sully) is the bravest and seems to be very food motivated, and she is the smallest. She runs over first when she sees me at the gate and doesn't mind if I pat her if she is eating food out of my hand, she just doesn't like to be picked up yet.

I've been using little bits of bread (they didn't like the peas I tried) and they will all now take bits from my hands (Sully is the most forward about it). The mealworms at the petshop cost too much so I think I'll have to stick to bread.

Oh, they are great fun! Try Scratch in a little bowl , and a clicker. and I'm sure you can get them to use a target stick too.
Here's a couple links in case you've not seen them

Yeah, I've watched some of those videos, they seem to use a measuring cup with a clicker attached to the handle.

Chickens are great, sadly undervalued, pets!
If you want them to get used to you being around than you should only feed them by hand/place food close to you (in the beginning maybe a bit further).
Ooh and chicken agility it is possible

They arn't really pets, they are supposed to be laying eggs, most of them seem to be laying now (one of them is trying to break the record for largest egg )

I think I'm going to teach one of them to go over a jump first, seems to be the easiest piece of equipment and I need to make some jumps for Holly anyway.

Good luck with the chickens!!!!!!

Thank you

 

[SarahtheSniper]

Good luck with your chickens!!! My chickens are pets and a few fly on my back every morning so they can get food in the feed room so they don't get bullied by the others. Have you named any of your chickens?