Chicken help urgently needed!!!

Ruby_Pudding

Hello, I need a bit of help before 9pm.....

A neighbour has asked us to put their chickens in at night while they are away on holiday. We've just been down and although it isn't dark yet all but one of the chickens were waiting by the door of their shed to be let in. But one wasn't, and despite 30 mins of trying to round her up she keeps running into the woods away from us. Has anyone got any tips about how to get chickens safely in at night without having to run around after them???

We're going back down at 9pm to try again

Any help appreciated

pawpurrs

I know it sounds silly but try making a few soothing clucking noises ans if they feed in pellets put them in a bucket and swish them about a bit!

V_Chic_Chick

A bit late I know, but when I first started keeping chickens about three years ago, I tried what you're doing. About a week later I realised if you leave it until the later stages of dusk, they should all be indoors, and then you can just shut the little door (called a 'pophole'). Make sure you do a headcount though, and if they are not all there, reopen and wait half an hour.

I would wait until about 9.30 or 10.

And um, pawpurrs, I don't think that's going to work as they should be fed as many pellets as they like (Ruby - feed as the owners told you too, I'm just talking about the norm!) and so won't be hungry enough to come running. However, a bit of grain may do the trick.

pawpurrs

Just trying to help.

Ruby_Pudding

Thanks for all replies - we just went down and it's quite dusky here now and all the chickens (and ducks) were sitting inside on their straw!!!! I guess we went down far too early and the little white one just wasn't ready for her bed at that time :rotfl:

I'm going to ask a really silly question now....do chickens allow you to stroke them?? There's a little fat brown one there who is soooooooo cute and I just want to pick her up and cuddle her like a baby but I'd settle for a little stroke of her feathers if she'd let me

Ted_Hutchinson

Ruby_Pudding wrote:

Thanks for all replies - we just went down and it's quite dusky here now and all the chickens (and ducks) were sitting inside on their straw!!!! I guess we went down far too early and the little white one just wasn't ready for her bed at that time :rotfl:

I'm going to ask a really silly question now....do chickens allow you to stroke them?? There's a little fat brown one there who is soooooooo cute and I just want to pick her up and cuddle her like a baby but I'd settle for a little stroke of her feathers if she'd let me

It depends on how much they were handled when little and the breed. Usually ours don't appreciate being picked up or stroked but you will soon find out if you pick it up. The only way you can catch our bantams is when it's dark and their half asleep. Very surprised to find our new 50p ex-free range hens which were being thrown out as end of lay are perfectly happy being picked up.

V_Chic_Chick

If you want to pick them up, they are calmest at night. Pick them up off their perches or wherever. However, DON'T hold them upside down or you could dislocate something (and that would be embarassing). The ideal is to hold them like this (or in the same way, but with one side attached to your front to discourage flapping and the other hand holding the other wing, which is the way I do it.):

http://www.csupomona.edu/~rvstumpf/gifs/chicken.jpg

But you can also hold them like this:

http://csumc.wisc.edu/cmct/ParkStreetCT/locations/chixunder/Cheryl_and_Chicken.jpg

Or like this:

http://www.stiebrsfarms.com/images/HaileyChicken.jpg

But that is more for little kid with big chicken.

Ruby_Pudding

V_Chic_Chick wrote:

However, DON'T hold them upside down or you could dislocate something

Oh I would never do that - in fact I won't attempt to pick them up at all if it's going to cause them the slightest discomfort or trauma. After all, they're not my chickens and they don't know me.

Many thanks for your advice though