Chicken Hijinks

[so lucky]

I had to replace the leg bands on our chickens again, so I got DH to help me catch them. What a mess! I had bought a trout net to help catch them...couldn't find a good chicken net. Do they make those? Anyway, the trout net is not quite long handled enough, and I'm not quick enough. DH caught most of them. One, a very flighty Welsummer was cornered and she flew straight up and launched off my face to get over me. Ouch! I got a couple nice scratches and I think the bridge of my nose is bruised from her hitting my glasses so hard.
Those silly birds that acted like I had an axe in my hand, once caught and held, melted and were as calm as could be.
I can't wait till they start squatting instead of running.

 

[seedcorn]

Why didn’t you do it a night?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Do you use those hard plastic split rings? I tried those and switched to colored zip ties. I find zip ties are easier to put on and to cut off. Those split rings are hard on my fingers. The zip ties still need to be checked and changed as they grow, they do not stretch.

If you google "Chicken leg catcher" you come up with a hook. I've never used one or seen one in use so I have no idea how well they actually work. I can't remember if @Beekissed said she'd used one or not.

If I have to catch mine during the day, I herd them into the coop and use a fish net. They can still get pretty acrobatic and the net can snag on things but they can't run too far. The rooster is the first one caught to get him out of the way just so he's not tempted to defend his flock. When I finish with one I toss it out of the coop to get it out of the way. Or if it is butcher day they go somewhere else.

Then there's Seed's way. After dark pick them off of the roost. As long as it stays fairly dark in the coop they usually stay on the roost so either use a flashlight to limit the light or take them outside.

 

[seedcorn]

I have a leg catcher. They are very efficient. I’d prefer it over a net.

 

[so lucky]

With a leg catcher, I couldn't imagine the actual "flipping" part after the hooking. All I could picture was chickens with broken ankles. My luck.
I guess it could have been done at night, but with the need for good light and all, I didn't include it as an option. And, I remembered my last attempt to catch unwilling chickens off the roost late at night, which was …...life altering. lol
Ridge, we use the zip ties.

I will probably not try to use the trout net again for this, but DH was eyeing it for his own use for fishing. So all is not wasted.

 

[Beekissed]

I never chase a chicken if I can help it...just lift them off the roosts at night~ya get old you start choosing the easier ways. Back in the day we had a coat hanger bent into a chicken catcher...slick as a whistle if you know what you are doing, just a sliding motion and then a lift, so the chicken is standing on one leg. Easy to catch then....but, I still prefer the off the roosts at night method. Less dramatic and less chance of missing a chicken.

A nice little hands free lighting solution is the headband lights...they are pretty bright nowadays and leave your hands free for working. Can't say I've ever been scratched in the face by a chicken...that would be a nasty, dirty kind of wound.

A chicken sling is nice for working chickens by yourself...another hands free solution I've discovered that really helped me get done with chicken checks quickly, quietly and without any fuss.

 

[seedcorn]

I’m all over that catch them at night.

 

[thejenx]

In the past I've used a fine mazed fishing net with an extendable handle, and a round ring, not triangular shaped. It was very light and could be used fast. Also being able to make the handle longer or shorter was very handy!

 

[so lucky]

I just realized that I'm 8 years older than I was when I got the first set of chickens. A lot can happen to your agility in 8 years.....

 

[Cosmo spring garden]

I have a small piece of fence which I use it to corner them and than grab them. Works really well. But like above comments, I try to do it at night if I can. So much easier.