I have taught chicks and grown chickens to come when called. So the age of your chicken doesn’t matter, you will be able to train your older chickens or even your baby chicks. The younger that you can train them the sooner and faster they will learn, but if you have patience you will be able to get the older chickens to come to!
Teaching chicks
When I first give my chicks scrambled eggs or mealworms I will hold it in my hand and as they eat it I will say chick, chick, chick. I repeat this a couple of times a day. Soon depending on how often, and how long you do it, your chicks will come whenever you call them. If they are like my chicks then they will run to you when they see you coming!
Why should you teach them to come when called?
It is a really good idea to teach your chickens to come when called especially if they free range. If there are ever predators or even if you just need them back into the coop, it is very handy when they come to you when called. There have been multiple times that we have had to get them back into the coop temporarily while we were working on something. It is so nice and easy when they follow you back to the coop!
Teaching grown chickens
It took probably a couple of months to teach my grown chickens to come when called. So it definitely takes a lot longer to teach them but it is so worth it. To teach them I threw them some mealworms and as they came over I would say chick, chick, chick. It may have taken a little while to teach them but that also could’ve been that I didn’t do it every day. I probably only did it once every other day, maybe sometimes twice a day. So if I was a little more consistent then it probably wouldn’t have taken as long.
See it’s pretty easy to teach chickens to come when called, and it will also be very convenient for you! It just takes a bit of patience, but it is totally worth it!
Other articles that you may like:
- Reasons why your hens may not be laying
- A guide to raising chicks week by week!
- The best chicken breeds that lay green eggs
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