Catching and picking up hens!

Sue

Sue

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Is there some sort of special technique for catching and picking up hens? I have had mine for 2 weeks now and can only pick up 3 of them - the buff and speckled sussex and the wyandotte, the others (French blue Maran, crested cream legbar and Barnevelder) move much quicker than I can! I've tried trapping them in a corner, but they are still too quick. I will need to treat them all for mites etc soon and this is going to be very difficult if I can't catch them! The maran and legbar are quite big birds, so am finding the prospect of picking them up quite daunting (I suspect they know this!) but the Barnevelder is the bottom bird in the pecking order and I can't even catch her!
 
Hi Sue.

Personaly I find cornering them enough. It comes down to the shape of the corner 8-) A firm hand to the back and the birds "Assume the possition" most times. Failing that, throw a blanket over them in an emergency :-)11

As for the powdering of your chooks.... why not let them do it themselves ? :-)05 :-)09 Make a sand box with fine dry sand in it and liberaly powder the sand with anti red mite powder. Show the chooks this luxury bath and they'll jump in quite happily in my experience. (So far)
 
I would pick your girls up and dust them whilst in the henhouse in the morning before letting them out. The birds will get used to you over time and become more friendly as time passes.
 
Rebelodicus said:
Make a sand box with fine dry sand in it and liberaly powder the sand with anti red mite powder.
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What a great plan, thanks.

Seeing as my garden often resembles a scene from a Benny Hill chase I'll definitely give this a go.
 
What a great idea with the sandbox! Excited to try it out! 
 
How are you getting on with attracting them to you by holding out a handful of corn or even (gasp!) dried mealworms? At first they'll just peck with necks stretched out, just out of reach, and you may even have to sprinkle a few treats on the floor, but if you are patient and don't grab, the boldest one will come closer and get all the treats. Then, if you hold the treats in a half-closed left hand, you can gradually reach out and touch her back. If she's in lay, she'll crouch and you can then put on the one-finger-each-side-of-the-neck hold, palm down on her back, whilst slipping your fingers under her tummy to get her legs. When you get to the stage of being able to pick her up, nicely supported on your hand and arm, with your other arm round her wings, then keep rewarding her and she'll be won over! Do all this in a confined space, so she can't easily get away, and do it in stages, but thereafter pick each one one up regularly so they don't forget it's OK. Possible with half a dozen hens like yours and mine, and very easy if they start off with you as youngsters, but of course if they've been raised in a large bunch by a breeder they will have missed out on a lot of early training, which may take time to establish.
 
Ambush method works if you are quick. Assuming you are right handed, when you have ushered the hen towards a corner put your right hand behind your back and your body turned slightly so that your right side is closer to the mesh than your left. Approach the hen with your left hand and she will run for the gap between your body and the fence. Right hand out and she'll run into it. Scoop up using left. Rarely fails, but sometimes I am a bit eager with the right hand and she's straight between my legs!
 
I find that going in firmly with no hesitation works every time. Try to herd the chook into a corner gently and they have time to think. Go in firmly and with a purpose and they just go into the corner. My problem is that the others manage to get under the coop out of reach while this is going on so normally have the wife keeping them from going under there.
 
I can only pick up one without much trouble - she's the one who was handled a lot when I first had her when the Dotte was attacking her and I have to separate her and look after her wounds! The others I can pick up if I am determined and don't hesitate. The two younger ones I haven't picked up at all, except to transfer them into the main run with the others when I first had them. One is much tamer than the other and will only eat corn out of my hand, not scattered on the ground! Haven't tried to pick her up yet as I don't want her to lose trust in me yet. I find if I hesitate in my mind, then I can't catch them, but if I go in with determination that I am going to catch them, then I can.
 
Yes I'm sure you're right about it being a confidence thing, Sue. Animals are like children, they sense when you mean it! It might help if you just scatter a handful of corn around your feet so their minds are on that, and then you can get to the one you want to touch/pick up whilst she's distracted a bit. I do think it has to be done regularly for a while, ie every day for a couple of weeks maybe, if you want to train them to accept it, then life is much easier and more fun afterwards! I've found the 2 weeks that young new ones spend separately is a good time to give them some intensive training on their own, because in with the others they may hang back out of deference/nervousness about the older hens, made worse if they aren't sure about you. Or else you might separate them with a bit of netting in the run once they've integrated, and feed them nice things for a daily 5 min. session, like a sort of 'special needs class!'
But be warned - my problem is now the opposite - how do I avoid treading on my girls when I appear, and also how can I stop my Legbar undoing my shoelaces?
 
We got a catching net . I don't know how I ever managed without one. They sell them on ebay.
 
Hmmm... Mine come to call if I hatched them and the breed is right. My Silverlaced Wyandotte Bantys and Exchequer leghorns would rather die than come within spitting distance. To handle them I go at sunset or keep the door shut until I can catch them on the way out. I'll be shot for a Muppet if I would run after them.

At a scrape I have a narrow point I put a dog cage with the door open across. I walk them into it like sheep at a sheep dog trial.


The idea of "fishing for chooks" should become a national sport ! lol.... the idea of chasing the girls and boys with a net greatly tickles my humour... Points for how many you get at once?... :lol: :-)17

(B4 anyone gets on my case... check the " warped humour, not to be taken seriously" clause in the small print)
 
I've got some individual panels that can be linked together to divide off a large run or funnel the birds into a smaller area to catch them. Got the idea watching a breeder trying to catch hens for a customer and then saw a smaller version at a County Show. They are 2 metres by 1.1 metres high. Have sketch plans if anyone would like to make them. Post me.
 
Hi Aileen ;) Good to see you. As you say...longtime since I've posted. Cheeky ? ... me ? :-)01

Great idea there Chris..... :-)17
 
Rebelodicus said:
Hi Aileen ;) Good to see you. As you say...longtime since I've posted. Cheeky ? ... me ? :-)01

Great idea there Chris..... :-)17
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Good to see you Reb! :D
 
Whether you go for a net or a 'collecting' hone in on one chicken and go for that one (as big cats catching their prey) don't just dive in or they will all get panicked.
 
A very good point. They all seem to know if you're going for one particular one and tend not to get too stressed if it isn't them. However...untrue if you got a large Cock. He/they will often come at you or interfere in some way.... it can cause all kinds of fun :-)11
 
You make a good point about any male that's living with the hens Reb. It's better to catch him or them up first and pen thm up seperatly till you've finished with the hens as they can get very jealous or protective about you picking up 'their' hens.
 
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