Sophie Bennett
Chickens are creatures of habit, and while they cannot learn tricks like a parrot or become as obedient as a dog, they can be trained to respond to verbal commands and perform certain tricks. Training a chicken to be a pet involves teaching it to come when called, go into its coop, and perform various tricks. Chickens can be trained to follow basic commands such as coop and hawk by using treats and positive reinforcement. They can also be taught to perform tricks such as playing dead, following a leader, and even playing a miniature musical instrument. Patience, consistency, and positive reinforcement are key to successfully training a chicken as a pet.
Characteristics of Training a Chicken to be a Pet
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Age to start training | 4 weeks |
| Chicken treats | Crickets, dried mealworms, corn on the cob, raisins |
| Chicken commands | "Chickchicks", "Coop", "Hawk" |
| Chicken tricks | Wave hello, play dead, follow the leader, play fetch, target colours, counting tricks, balance tricks, navigate an obstacle course, ring a bell, play Simon Says, chicken soccer, navigate a maze, retrieve items, push a small object, play a miniature musical instrument, make a Jack-o-Lantern |
| Chicken training techniques | Use of clicker, target training, positive reinforcement, repetition, consistent verbal cues or hand signals, short training sessions, clear and consistent commands, ensure safety and well-being of chickens |
| Chicken behaviour | Chickens are creatures of habit, they learn from watching others, they can be affectionate and show love |
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What You'll Learn
Tricks and commands
Chickens are creatures of habit, which can be advantageous when it comes to training them. While they may not learn tricks like a parrot or become as obedient as a dog, they can certainly be trained to respond to certain commands and perform some fun tricks.
- Teach your chicken to come when called by calling out "Chickens" and placing treats near your feet. After some practice, you can call them without offering treats, and they will still come running.
- Use a "treat call" to locate your chickens. Call out something like "Heerre Chick Chick Chick!" and reward them with treats when they come to you.
- Teach your chicken the "coop" command to get them to return to their coop when free-ranging. This is best taught during winter when they have no choice but to go into the coop. Say "Coop!" and lead them into the coop every time, even when putting them in for the night.
- Train your chicken to come to your arm by standing in the chicken yard, putting out your arm like a falconer, and saying "Hawk!". Reward your chicken with a treat when they fly to your arm.
- Teach your chicken to follow you by walking around the yard with treats in your hand.
- Get your chicken to raise a wing as if they are waving hello by offering a treat as a reward.
- Train your chicken to "play dead" by lying on their side or back by rewarding them with treats when they do so.
- Teach your chicken to push a small object, like a toy car, by guiding them with treats.
- Train your chicken to perch on a swing by using treats to guide them.
- Teach your chicken to ring a bell by hanging a bell and rewarding them with treats when they ring it.
- Create a mini-obstacle course and guide your chicken through it with treats.
- Teach your chicken to recognise and peck specific shapes or colours by placing treats on the target.
- Get your chicken to make a Jack-o-Lantern by placing treats on a pumpkin in your desired shape.
- Train your chicken to count by pecking a specific number of times based on your command.
Remember, chickens learn best by watching others, so even a video of a chicken performing a trick can help with training. Always use positive reinforcement with treats to reward desired behaviour, and be patient and consistent with short training sessions to prevent boredom and ensure your chicken's safety and well-being.
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Creating positive associations
Chickens are creatures of habit, so it is possible to train them. One of the most important aspects of training chickens is creating positive associations. This can be done through positive reinforcement with treats, which rewards desired behaviour.
To begin with, you can offer food on your upturned palm at ground level. The hen will eventually come across for a peck. Use a clicker to reinforce the learning. Once the hen is happily walking to your hand and feeding, you can start raising your hand, giving a familiar click of the pet clicker, until eventually, the hen has to flap up to reach the food.
You can also use treats to train your chickens to follow you by walking around the yard with treats in hand. This will also help them to associate you with food and to come when called. You can call out "Chickens" and then put treats near your feet. Over time, they will come running when they hear the call, regardless of whether you have treats or not.
Chickens also learn from watching others, so even a video of a chicken doing something can help train a chicken. For example, you can teach your chicken to come to your arm by saying "Hawk!" and putting out your arm like a falconer. You can also use a clicker and treats to reinforce this behaviour.
Another way to create positive associations is to give your chickens treats when they go into their coop at night. Say "Coop!" every time you lead them in, even if it is just for the night. This will help them to associate the coop with something positive.
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Using treats
Chickens are a prey species and are naturally scared of everything. However, they can be trained to be pets and even perform tricks. The key to training chickens is to gain their trust and the quickest way to do this is by offering treats.
When you first get your chicken, keep it in its coop for a week to ten days. The coop will now be etched on its brain as home. Open up in the morning and your chicken will come and go as it pleases but will always return to the safety of the coop in the evening. Scatter treats in the coop and either shout something like "Greedy girls!" or use a whistle, bell, or small gong to call them home.
Once your chicken is used to responding to being called, offer treats in your hand at eye level. After it learns to eat out of your hand, try petting it with your other hand. If your chicken doesn't like it, keep trying. Put some treats in your lap to get it to learn to jump into your lap. The last step is for your chicken to trust you enough to pick it up and place it in your lap. Make sure there are treats in your lap to reward it immediately.
You can also use treats to teach your chicken tricks, such as waving hello (getting your chicken to raise a wing), playing dead (lying on its side or back), following the leader (walking around the yard), and playing fetch. Start with short distances and gradually work your way up. You can also teach your chicken to recognize and peck at specific shapes and colors.
Chickens respond well to positive reinforcement with treats for good behavior. Be patient and consistent with training sessions and keep them short and fun to prevent boredom. Always use clear, consistent commands or cues and ensure the safety and well-being of your chickens during training.
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Patience and repetition
Chickens are creatures of habit, so training them requires patience and repetition. They have short attention spans, so keep training sessions short and positive. Start with simple tricks and gradually move on to more complex ones. Building on their success will boost their confidence.
To begin, use a clicker to help your chickens associate the sound with positive behaviour. Start by offering food on your upturned palm at ground level. The hen will eventually come across for a peck. Use the clicker to reinforce the learning. Some breeds are more shy than others, so be gentle and patient. Once the hen is happily walking to your hand and feeding, you can begin to raise your hand, giving a familiar click of the pet clicker, until the hen has to flap up to reach the food.
You can also train your chickens to respond to verbal commands, such as "coop" to get them to go inside. Repeat the command every time you lead them in, even if you're just putting them in for the night. You can also use hand signals, such as putting out your arm and saying "hawk" to get your chicken to fly to you. Chickens learn the most from watching others, so even a video of a chicken doing something can help train your chicken.
Another trick is to teach your chickens to follow you by walking around the yard with treats in hand. You can also try teaching them to recognise and peck specific shapes, like circles or squares, by placing treats on a pumpkin in your desired shape.
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Social learning
Chickens are social learners, so they can learn by watching others. For example, one chicken owner trained their chicken, Macy, to fly to their arm by saying "Hawk!" and holding out their arm like a falconer. Macy's owner started by teaching her the trick while sitting down, with a treat in view, and then progressed to standing up and removing the treat from sight. Some of the other hens then learned the trick by watching Macy. Even a video of a chicken performing an action can help to train a chicken.
To train your chicken to come when called, start when they are around four weeks old. Call out "Chickens!" and put treats near your feet. After a while, they will come running when you call, even without treats.
Another important command is "Coop!", which teaches chickens to go into their coop. It is best to train this command during the winter, as chickens have no choice but to go into the coop. Say "Coop!" and lead the flock into the coop every time you put them away for the night.
Chickens can also be trained to follow you by walking around the yard with treats in your hand. This can be used to herd chickens in a particular direction. To do this, stand behind the flock and clap your hands, then move slowly towards them with your arms stretched out to the side to make yourself appear wider. The hens will group together and move as a herd.
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Frequently asked questions
Start training your chicken to come when called from four weeks old by calling out "Chickens" and placing treats near your feet. Over time, your chicken will associate the call with treats and will come running.
Chickens can be taught a variety of tricks, including playing dead, following a leader, playing fetch, recognizing shapes and colours, and navigating an obstacle course. Chickens can also be taught to enjoy being petted, perching on a chicken swing, and pushing small objects.
Always say "Coop!" when leading your chicken into the coop, even if it is just for the night. During the winter, when chickens have no choice but to go into the coop, they will associate the word with going inside.
Chickens are creatures of habit, so it is important to use consistent verbal cues or hand signals for each trick. Positive reinforcement with treats is also a good way to reward desired behaviour.
