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Chickens are intelligent birds capable of learning a variety of tricks. Training your chickens can help make managing their flock easier for you. With adequate treats and a call your chickens will recognize, you can train your chickens to perch on your hand, come when called, and even run an agility course!
Steps
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Use treats to motivate your chickens. Chickens love food, so treats are good for reinforcing the behavior you’re trying to teach them. When training your chickens, give them a treat after they do something right. Try to use treats that are different than their regular food. Some easy treats that chickens love are dried mealworms, bird seed, fruits, and vegetables. [1] X Research source
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Come up with a sound your chickens will recognize during training. These sounds are called bridges. Any sound can be a bridge, as long as you can make it consistently so your chickens don’t get confused. Use the bridge right after your chickens do something right and before you give them a treat. They’ll start to associate the bridge with getting a reward. [2] X Research source
- The bridge you use with your chickens could be the word “awesome” or you whistling. If you want to be certain your bridge will always sound the same, use a training clicker (like the kind they use to train dogs) as a bridge.
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Be consistent with your training. Chickens are smart, but you’ll need to reinforce their good behaviors daily if you want your training to stick. Make an effort to work with your chickens at least once a day. The more often you train them, the faster they’ll learn. [3] X Research source
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Make your bridge noise and give your chickens a treat. Let your chickens see the treats in your hand so they approach you. Continue to do this around 2-3 times a day so your chickens associate food with the bridge noise. Make sure you’re making your bridge noise first and giving them treats immediately after. [4] X Research source
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Start hiding the treats while making your bridge noise after a few days of training. Watch your chickens reactions after you bridge. If they perk up and approach you like they're waiting for food, the training is working. Give them the treats after they've come to attention and approached you. [5] X Research source
- If your chickens aren’t associating your bridge noise with food, keep training them until they do. It could take several weeks for all of your chickens to get there.
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Let your chickens roam free once they associate your bridge noise with food. Make sure all of your chickens are adequately trained before you let them out. If one chicken doesn't associate your bridge with treats, that chicken won’t respond when you try to call the flock back to their coop. [6] X Research source
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Make the bridge noise when you’re ready for your chickens to come home. You may need to make it several times so all the chickens hear it. When the chickens return, give them their treats. If any of your chickens don’t respond to your bridge noise, go collect them and bring them back to the coop. Keep training them until they make the connection. [7] X Research source
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Put your palm face up on the ground and hold a treat in your free hand. Hold the treat close to your palm that’s on the ground, so that your palm is in between the treat and the chicken. [8] X Research source
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Show the chicken the treat and wait for it to walk over. Keep holding the treat close to your palm on the ground so the chicken has to walk onto your palm to get it. Don’t give the chicken the treat just yet. [9] X Research source
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Make your bridge noise and give the chicken the treat once it’s on your palm. Make sure both of its feet are on your palm before you bridge and give it the treat. Don’t lift your palm off the ground yet. Let the chicken get comfortable stepping on your hand a few times first. [10] X Research source
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Try again, this time lifting your palm a few inches off the ground. Wait for the chicken to step onto your palm before you lift it. Don’t lift your hand too high at first or you may startle the chicken. Keep your hand steady in the air. [11] X Research source
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Repeat daily, lifting your palm a few inches higher each session. Don’t rush the process. Take it slow so the chicken gets used to standing on your hand. After a few sessions, try moving your palm back and forth slowly while the chicken is on it. Eventually, you should be able to walk around with the chicken perched on your hand. [12] X Research source
- When you’re ready for the chicken to get off your hand, gently place your hand on the ground so it can step off.
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Get an animal target trainer. Look for one online or at your local pet store. Target trainers look like a long stick with a ball at the end. If you don’t want to buy one, make one for your chickens by attaching a wiffle ball to the end of a chopstick. [13] X Research source
- With a target trainer, you can train your chickens to go anywhere you place the target, whether it's in their coop, your hand, or another spot in your yard.
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Place the target near your chickens. It doesn't matter where you place it at this point, as long as your chickens can access it. Wait for your chickens to notice the target and walk over to investigate. [14] X Research source
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Reward your chickens when they get near the target. It’s OK if they’re a few steps away at this point. Make your bridge noise and give them a treat. If your chickens aren't going near the target at all, show them treats to lure them over. [15] X Research source
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Wait for your chickens to get closer to the target before you reward them again. If they were 3 steps away from the target last time you gave them a treat, wait until they’re 2 steps away this time. Make it incrementally harder for your chickens to get a reward. This will train them to get closer and closer to the target.
- Continue this until your chickens are walking right up to the target.
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Wait until your chickens peck the target to give them a treat. When they do, make your bridge noise and give them their snack. Every training session, continue to reward your chickens when they peck the target.
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Move the location of the target after a few training sessions. Don’t move it too far at first; 3–4 feet (0.91–1.22 m) is enough. If your chickens continue to peck the target, you can start moving it to farther away to new places, like on top of a post or on a table. Your chickens should start to follow the target wherever you take it. [16] X Research source
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Put your chicken’s target training to use. If you need to weigh your chickens on a scale, put the target on it and they will hop on. Quickly get your chickens into their pen by placing the target inside of it. You can even use the target to make your chickens run an agility course. [17] X Research source
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Community Q&A
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QuestionWhy does one of the other answers suggest feeding eggs to chickens?Community AnswerChickens can and do eat eggs, so some people will give them to chickens as a snack, but it's not generally recommended that you encourage them to eat eggs (since this could, by extension, encourage them to crack and eat perfectly good eggs).
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QuestionWhat are some good chicken treats?A WikihowianCommunity AnswerFor homemade treats, I would recommend several kernels of corn or a mashed up boiled egg. (The latter is highly recommended as eggs are very healthy.) You could also buy some treats at your local tractor supply or farming store.
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QuestionHow can I train my chicken to fight a cat? Cats eat my chicks.Community AnswerYou cannot train your chicken to fight. You will have to just keep the chickens in a separate room/area away from the cat.
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Tips
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- If you call “Here chick chick chick” a few times each day, about a week or so later the chickens will come when you call.
- Instead of using a clicker, you can use a bag. When my chicken hears the sound of a bag crinkling, she runs right over.
- A good treat to use is small bits of apple!
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Things You’ll Need
- Treats
- Noise maker
- Target trainer
- Mealworms (Optional)
- Bird seed (Optional)
- Fruits (Optional)
- Vegetables (Optional)
References
- ↑ http://ouroneacrefarm.com/train-chickens-come-called/
- ↑ http://www.hobbyfarms.com/how-to-train-your-chicken/
- ↑ http://www.hobbyfarms.com/how-to-train-your-chicken/
- ↑ http://ouroneacrefarm.com/train-chickens-come-called/
- ↑ http://ouroneacrefarm.com/train-chickens-come-called/
- ↑ http://ouroneacrefarm.com/train-chickens-come-called/
- ↑ http://ouroneacrefarm.com/train-chickens-come-called/
- ↑ http://www.hobbyfarms.com/how-to-train-your-chicken/
- ↑ http://www.hobbyfarms.com/how-to-train-your-chicken/
- ↑ http://www.hobbyfarms.com/how-to-train-your-chicken/
- ↑ http://www.hobbyfarms.com/how-to-train-your-chicken/
- ↑ http://www.hobbyfarms.com/how-to-train-your-chicken/
- ↑ http://www.hobbyfarms.com/how-to-train-your-chicken/
- ↑ http://www.hobbyfarms.com/how-to-train-your-chicken/
- ↑ http://www.hobbyfarms.com/how-to-train-your-chicken/
- ↑ http://www.hobbyfarms.com/how-to-train-your-chicken/
- ↑ http://www.hobbyfarms.com/how-to-train-your-chicken/
About This Article
Article Summary
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To train chickens, always give them a treat, like mealworms, bird seed, or vegetables, after they do something you want them to do, which will help reinforce the behavior. You should also say a command or make a sound using a training clicker. For example, if you wanted to train your chickens to come when called, you would give them a treat and say a command when they started walking toward you. Over time, your chickens would learn that they always get treats when they respond to the command. Try to train your chickens at least once a day since consistency will help them learn faster. To learn how to train your chickens to perch on your hand, scroll down!
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Reader Success Stories
- "I want to train my chickens and this was easy for me to understand and I will save up for a meal worm so I can do it. Thank you so much for the information." ..." more
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"I want to train my chickens and this was easy for me to understand and I will save up for a meal worm so I can do it. Thank you so much for the information."
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"Chickens like to eat dandelions the most."
