Handling hens

[Sue]

I've had my hens 5 weeks now and after 4 weeks of problems with one of them bullying another, they have finally settled down. I was just about to re home the bully, but after putting her in a cage on her own a couple of times, she stopped bullying!

My question is this - how often should I handle them? I have only handled the bully and the one she was bullying because of having to move them around and treat the injured bird etc. They are both easy to catch, but the other 4 haven't been handled at all. I can't catch them and am worried about injuring them because they panic and by trying to escape they run into the wire. They are very lively and can move much quicker than I can! They will come to me to eat corn out of my hand, but as soon as I try to catch them, they're off! Should I just leave it for a while and hope they get more used to me or should I be catching them on a regular basis so it becomes easier?

 

[karminski]

i would suggest you sit quietly within the run with some sweets { like mixed corn or wet bread or anything else they like } and just give them time to come to you not you go to them within time they will learn to trust you .

 

[Sue]

Most of them will come to me and eat from my hand, but if I make a move to touch them, they're off!

 

[karminski]

have you tried catching them within thier house i have to do that with my maran as shes a right pig most the time there is nothing worst then not being able to catch one of them .

 

[Aileen]

Have you tried going out at night and stroking them when they are all settled and chilled for the night, just do that for a few days then gradually lift them up off the perch and put them back down... I used that for mine and even my "flighty" bird has become a real softie, but I have a Marans who whilst isn't aggresive is just not particularly sociable she doesn't want to be bothered, It just takes time and some birds are more up for a cuddle than others.

 

[Tim]

Some breeds are naturally flighty.

The more you handle, the better - but also the younger the better. When you have chicks, the more you handle them in the early days, the more they accept this as being normal.

If you hatch chicks in an incubator, the critical period seems to be 48 hours - during this time, they accept you picking them up but once they are left for a few days, they soon run off and this usually continues as they grow. If you handle them a lot during this time, they are better.

That said, you can tame them with treats (mealworms are good) as already said...