I have a young bantam rooster that is extremely flighty--cant get w/in 5 feet of him and he literally explodes in feathers and a squawking fit. Once he actually took flight and flew a good hundred yards into a pine tree. Chickens are not supposed to fly??!! I couldn't believe my eyes. The only thing I could think of to keep him from disappearing from sight everytime i walk by is to clip his wings, however I want to show him. Most of the other bantams are the same way, how do I desensitize them? I really want to show them someday but I don't want to literally stress them to death.
Oh my gosh! Where did you get the idea that chickens aren't supposed to fly? Did you raise these guys from chicks? You can start giving them treets from your hands, if they won't get that close, sit with them and put treets near you and talk to them while they eat.
yeah the funny thing is, I got them from a farm when they were itty bitty and they've been around people and the normal comings and goings ever since. i don't know if maybe something happened to them in their early childhood to leave such a lasting impression. Well, I did know chickens could fly, at least a little ways, but this guy just shot up like a rocket, and very high in the air too like a regular bird. I just don't understand why these guys are soo terrible--the rest of my flock runs to greet me when I come around. It's frustrating but I guess as long as I don't give up there's nothing to lose. Thanks
Anon: You have your work cut out for you, if you ever wish to Show these bantams! Treats in confinement may be the only way. Show birds need to be trained to be quiet in their show cages and let the judge turn them around in the cage, then handle them for hands on examination! It takes time and training to make a bird "show" to best advantage, just being pretty is not enough. So confinement in a coop, where you can talk to your birds, hand feed them, catch and gently handle them, maybe give them a warm bath on a warm day, all are ways to tame them. Hitting the cage with feathers flying will not do for a show bird. Sometimes it is just the personality of the birds, with difficulty in getting them quiet, but most birds will gentle down with gentle handling and confined hand feeding "treats" they like. I don't understand "wild" bantams that I have raised, either, and a very few remain that way despite best attention. But be optomistic--yours will likely come around. Good luck! CJR
Flap your arms harder
By Gallina on Sunday, August 5, 2001 - 06:37 am:
By Anonymous on Sunday, August 5, 2001 - 01:37 pm:
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