OT How to catch a chicken?

Last night my neighbour was cleaning the chicken run and the bantam cockerel escaped. We spent about half an hour chasing him before losing him. He doesn't crow, so we can't track him that way. Getting close enough to catch him was the main problem, especially as he was usually in hedgerow or bramble. Any tips on how to catch him and return him safely to the chicken run, before he ends up as a meal for one of the local foxes?

Reply to
Nightjar
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On 18 May 2015, Nightjar grunted:

Use a lady bantam as bait?

Reply to
Lobster

On the rare occasions that ours get out, they do usually come home to roost of an evening. But we did have one once that insisted in roosting in a tree inside the chicken run for quite some time.

Andrew

Reply to
Andrew Mawson

Just wait, he'll return to the coop when it gets dark.

Mike

Reply to
Muddymike

Stop chasing, he'll always be quicker than you. Is he used to being hand fed? Tempt him in close with food in a hand and slowly quietly get hold of him whilst he's taking food. May even work if he's not hand trained but will take a while.

Sparse trail of his favourite food either back into the run (keep the hens in the coop) or to an improvised trap. Large box proped up on a stick with string attached, then play the waiting game. Box needs to proped up high enough that chook doesn't see it as a "confined space" and be reluctant to go under it.

Personally the trail of food into the run and going away would be my first course of action. Keeping an eye on the situation from a distance, "out of view", tens of yards or WHY) or back inside. Might take an hour or two. or three. If he finds the food but doesn't follow the trail try the trap.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

What you need is a net and some favourite food and some way to draw up the net remotely. Surely there are traps for catching large birds in safely?

Many years ago a friend and his mate caught one using a jet of water from a hosepipe and a second purson lurking around a corner. Brian

Reply to
Brian-Gaff

Thank you all for the various suggestions. I'll pass them on to my neighbour. She has only had the chickens for a few weeks, so isn't yet into understanding chicken behaviour.

Reply to
Nightjar

Sounds like you need a chicken group, I'm sure there are some around most vicinities and these Good Life types love to talk about what they do. Otherwise, a person who has a smallholding can be very handy. We used to have a couple around here, but they were induced to sell their land to the developers and moved elsewhere Brian

Reply to
Brian-Gaff

Isn't it obvious that if you approach any animal/bird too quickly it's going to feel threatened? A threatened creature will do one of two things, get aggressive and threaten back before attacking or run way. Chickens essentially being prey run away.

Most creatures have an "approach distance". If you are further away than this distance they won't be particulary bothered, half a pace inside and they'll pay attention and may well move in the direction to maintain the distance. By slowly approaching an animal in the direction you want it to move it's possible to move them in that direction. Of couse it's not that easy if the animal is facing the "wrong" direction or there are obstructions. It also depends on how "flighty" the animal is, chickens and rabbits fall into the "flighty" group. As you approach they'll hold their ground up to a point then zoom off in a semi-panic, probably still away from you but end point will be a bit random.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

Reply to
Andrew Mawson

A variation on this is the *oblique* approach perfected in my youth:-)

On spotting a rabbit hiding in a *form*, walk steadily as if to pass at a distance of about 2m. At the closet point simply fall with the arms extended to trap the prey.

I used to trap birds with the simple *drop* trap mentioned elsewhere. Rectangular frame of wood covered in plastic mesh propped on edge and supported with a length of wood connected by string to your hand. Food under trap and patience. Does not work with Magpies or other members of the Corvid family:-)

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Reply to
Tim Lamb

A chicken catcher more like! The chicken catchers were the Elite, and extraordinarily well-paid, I recall, at Buxted Chicken Factory back in the 1970s. And they were as fit as ship's cats (not surprisingly perhaps).

Reply to
Cursitor Doom

I did manage to get a hand round its back, by coming quietly in from the other side of a hedge while it was watching my neighbour. Unfortunately, the bottom of the hedge is full of brambles and I had the choice of letting go or getting a badly lacerated hand. Had it been my chicken, I might have made a different choice.

Reply to
Nightjar

In message , Andrew Mawson writes

This was meant to be a follow up to Andrew but my newsreader won't display his post!

You cannot drive pigs by any comfort zone strategy. The only system that works is to block their attempted route visually (board etc.) and then follow if they happen to go the way you want:-)

Reply to
Tim Lamb

Tapping their heels is very effective

Andrew

Reply to
Andrew Mawson

In article , Nightjar

I've kept chickens for many years now...

She needs to watch Chicken Run (Yes, the Aardman one!) it's a documentary.

However, it's dark now (in the UK), so hopefully the issue is solved - they usually come home when it starts to get dark - assuming you've not chased it too far away.

But the thing to use, if you really need to is a landing net with a long handle.

Incidentally there's no need for the cockerel. Fatten it up and put it on the plate. Unless they want something pretty that is.

Gordon

Reply to
Gordon Henderson

We chased it back towards the run. I've not seen her today to discover whether it did survive the night though.

I was thinking we needed something like that.

She has four cockerels and one hen, given to her as a present by somebody who didn't want to eat them. I don't see any of them ending up on a plate. The noisy one is probably lucky that wringing a chicken's neck is one of the few skills my mother did not pass on to me though.

Reply to
Nightjar

In message , Nightjar writes

Those who don't like to eat Chicken, look away now..

Just in case the skill is required... both feet in right hand, neck between first and second fingers of left: putting head and beak in left palm. Bend neck by rotating left hand and pull down with left and up with right. Ignore flapping wings. When you feel the neck extend, stop pulling. The wings will continue flapping for a few seconds...

Reply to
Tim Lamb

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