How to hug A Chicken
How Do I Make My Pet Chickens Cuddly?
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hey everyone it's Trish from the Kings
roost and as the crazy chicken lady
around here today I'm gonna tackle a
question that we get a lot how do you
get your hands so cuddly so I'm gonna go
through three bullet points the first is
the age of your chicks when you get them
the second is keeping the breeds in mind
and the third and most important by far
is channeling your inner rooster
so our chickens are not just farm
animals or egg-laying machines they are
our pets and our family members and they
are very very spoiled I recognize that
not everybody is into that too a lot of
people it seems kind of crazy and it
seems a little outrageous and it is
totally outrageous but it's really fun
so as you might imagine the earlier that
you get your chickens be easier it will
be for them to bond with you so if you
get them as day-old chicks or even hatch
them yourself that gives you a real
advantage in bonding with them but I
promise you you can make a chicken of
any age love you very deeply so the next
thing is to consider what breed of
chicken you want like all animals
chickens are individuals and each one is
different but the breeds have certain
commonalities and there are some breeds
that are better known for having more
calm and docile friendly temperaments my
absolute favorite breed of all time for
snuggly nests is the Brahma
she's a nice big fluffy girl they are
very very sweet and friendly very calm
they're very very stable with both
people and with other birds they're just
an all-around fabulous pet chicken this
is a Buff Orpington
they're known kind of is like the teddy
bears of the chicken world because
they're just so universally sweet they
like everybody they're very gentle
they're very affectionate they're very
chill sometimes they get beat up on by
the other chickens because they're so
chill
another of my all-time favorites is the
Rhode Island red because while these
ladies are not always known for being
that sweet and cuddly the fact is that
they are so smart and so sophisticated
that when you earn their trust there's
sort of an unmatched loyalty and
devotion that you'll get from these that
you won't get from any other chicken
chickens are by nature very sociable
animals and they're very tactile and
they're very affectionate so if you can
get your chickens to see you as part of
their flock or better yet as their
rooster they're going to be very very
loving
with you roosters are not known for
being the gentlest of creatures but you
can be a very sweet and gentle rooster
you do need to be firm though you need
to show your chickens who's boss and you
need to teach them to trust and to
appreciate your touch now every good
rooster has his top hens
those are his favorite chickens who he
most likes to hang around with and they
have a very special social status so
like a good rooster you need to identify
a couple that are gonna be your top hens
and you're gonna really focus on them to
begin with so picking your top hens is
as simple as which chickens do you like
the most or which have an affinity for
you already or which are just kind of
your special favorites already and then
you're gonna use those chickens as an
example to the rest of the flock for
what a mighty and impressive and lovable
rooster you are here's a little secret
Ruby and Padma are my top hens but
you'll find that once those top hens are
in your lap all the time the other
chickens watch very closely and pretty
soon they're gonna want to be in your
lap all the time too and before you know
it they're all top hens chickens are
also extremely food motivated so the
first step in earning their trust is
bribing them with lots and lots of
delicious treats here I've got some
green peas I've got some various grains
some sunflower seeds some worms some
little dried crustacean ooh things they
love this stuff
I suggest you sit around where your
chickens are pecking and maybe do a
little gardening or scratch around a
little yourself that will convince them
that you're part of their crew once your
chickens become comfortable with you
being in a very close proximity the next
step is for them to allow you to pick
them up you can look at our video on how
to do that but I'm gonna go over it real
quick here too the best time to teach
your chickens to really love being
handled is when they're going through
puberty which is when they're about 4 to
6 months old at that stage you'll notice
that when you come near them they sort
of squat and do a little dance that
little dance means that they are
submitting to a rooster and they'd like
to be mounted now and I'd like to
congratulate you because that means you
have succeeded in making them believe
you're their rooster so great job and
now you have to follow through start by
just holding them gently with their
wings against their body and their feet
dangling a nice firm hand makes them
feel very secure and having nothing
under their feet to push against keeps
them from trying to get down the next
step is to sit with them and apply firm
pressure to their back and shoulders
that's what a rooster would do if he was
getting ready to mate with them and
they'll submit and then you can just
gently start patting them a little bit
of a scratching in the back of their
neck is usually appreciated on the
shoulders very gentle but very firm if
she wants to get down at first your
answer is no eventually you won't have
to hold her there she's gonna want to be
there she's gonna ask to be there
in fact sometimes you're gonna be
running away from your chickens all day
because all they want to do is be in
your lap but at the beginning you're so
much bigger than they are and you don't
quite look like a rooster I'm assuming
so you're gonna have to teach them how
wonderful it is to be touched by you
you'll be surprised how fast they
respond to this because chickens are
very hierarchical and they respond very
very well to Authority and to sort of a
firm sense of control so just be very
confident hold them with a lot of
assurance make them feel safe like you
have no questions in the world and you
have all the answers they really like
that and then you'll discover and
they'll like different things some
chickens like a wing massage some
shoulder work a rub on the rib cage
underneath neck and jaw massage almost
every chicken loves a gentle touch on
the top of the head some of them like a
foot massage a scratch behind the ears
some chickens will talk to you while
you're patting them some will just be
quiet they say that you're not supposed
to kiss your chickens because they're
not that clean but
some of them just love it so much see I
really am the crazy chicken lady
but my best advice about channeling your
inner rooster is simply not to give up
so I want to hear all about your
adventures in creating the world's
cuddly astrak-- of chickens remember get
your chicks young take the breed into
account and most important be the
rooster be in charge this is your flock
these are your girls you can teach them
how to behave you can teach them how to
act you can teach them who to love
change comes fast don't give up keep at
it
it'll happen and it's so rewarding and
it's so fun thanks for stopping by don't
forget to subscribe
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