The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: Mel on October 14, 2012, 09:57:43 am

Title: Hypnotising Chickens +
Post by: Mel on October 14, 2012, 09:57:43 am
I thought this was rather cool!

Watch animals being hypnotised!- Supernatural - BBC Earth (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozUjZUIJ5lg#)
Title: Re: Hypnotising Chickens +
Post by: Beewyched on October 14, 2012, 09:59:45 am
Clever, but very  :roflanim:
Title: Re: Hypnotising Chickens +
Post by: Bionic on October 14, 2012, 10:05:48 am
Anyone tried it? 
I find that if I try to pick up one of my chickens they squat down and spread their wings a bit and stay motionless. I think this is to avoid predators i.e. thinking they are dead.
I don't usually let my dog off the lead when the chickens are out but he got out himself the other day and chased the chickens. They scattered so he chose just one and that one did as I said above. There was nothing to chase so the dog gave up and walked away. Very clever  :thumbsup:
Sally
Title: Re: Hypnotising Chickens +
Post by: plumseverywhere on October 14, 2012, 10:22:40 am
My dad used to do something that hypnotised chickens, so he said. I'll have to ask him - at the time I passed it off as a wind up but seeing that...
Title: Re: Hypnotising Chickens +
Post by: in the hills on October 14, 2012, 10:51:41 am
Bionic - I think they stoop like that in anticipation of the cock bird treading them.  ;D


If we have to treat any of our birds my daughter turns them on their sides and strokes them and they seem to go into a trance and very calm. She loves it  ::)  Rabbits do a similar thing when turned onto their backs - for nail trimming and the like.
Title: Re: Hypnotising Chickens +
Post by: Womble on October 14, 2012, 11:22:31 am

I did some reading around when I first heard about this.. As the film says, some scientists think it's a response to a possible predator. I think this could be quite stressful for the bird, so go easy! That said, I'll confess I did try it on one of ours, but with only short-lived success!

I can 'hypnotise' the geese though. You hold it still on the ground, with its head under its wing, then repeatedly stroke gently from its neck, all the way down to its back. After about 30 seconds, you feel the goose relax and go to 'sleep'. The trick then is to see if you can back off without it waking up!  ;D
Title: Re: Hypnotising Chickens +
Post by: plumseverywhere on October 14, 2012, 11:23:55 am
Can I try it on a goat?  :excited:
Title: Re: Hypnotising Chickens +
Post by: Bionic on October 14, 2012, 11:28:25 am
I'm going to try it on OH  :roflanim:
Title: Re: Hypnotising Chickens +
Post by: Mel on October 14, 2012, 11:41:03 am
 :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim:
I'm going to try it on OH  :roflanim:
Title: Re: Hypnotising Chickens +
Post by: Mammyshaz on October 14, 2012, 12:56:36 pm
It works well at work with nervous rabbits for checking their teeth. I often use this method. Better than them being stressed and injuring themselves for examination when they rarely get human contact.

I haven't needed to use it on any of my own animals, they are so used to being handled and examined  ::) I must have OCD when it comes to checking them regularly.
Title: Re: Hypnotising Chickens +
Post by: Welshcob on October 14, 2012, 12:59:08 pm
Somebody told me once that you can hypnotise chickens if you draw a straight line on the ground and put your chicken down on their chest and the beak pointing at the line. They seem to be so absorbed in staring at the line that they don't move for quite some time, in fact he said that if you don't move them they will stay there forever!!!  :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim:

Never tried but worth a shot for the comedy value  ::)
Title: Re: Hypnotising Chickens +
Post by: hughesy on October 15, 2012, 11:19:53 am
It'd be bloody handy if you could do it with pigs ;D
Title: Re: Hypnotising Chickens +
Post by: HelenVF on October 15, 2012, 01:12:44 pm
I've done it on a chicken and a pheasant. Fairly easy to do. I also read that it can be quite stressful so only did it those two times.

Helen
Title: Re: Hypnotising Chickens +
Post by: Lesley Silvester on October 15, 2012, 05:03:12 pm
I'm going to try it on OH  :roflanim:

 :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim:


Can I try it on a goat?  :excited:

Would be handy if you could.  I could sweep the yard without three goats play-fighting round me.   ;D
Title: Re: Hypnotising Chickens +
Post by: doganjo on October 16, 2012, 11:42:23 am
We do it to pigeons and in France to Quail - so that the dogs have long enough to find and point but when flushed the birds wake up and fly.  Never heard it being stressful to them though,  top breeder/trainer in France, Patrick Morin (Keranlouan) keeps a few of them and they are used daily for training his youngsters.
Title: Re: Hypnotising Chickens +
Post by: Mel on October 17, 2012, 08:48:53 am
Somebody told me once that you can hypnotise chickens if you draw a straight line on the ground and put your chicken down on their chest and the beak pointing at the line. They seem to be so absorbed in staring at the line that they don't move for quite some time, in fact he said that if you don't move them they will stay there forever!!!  :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim:

Never tried but worth a shot for the comedy value  ::)

Was that a senior moment? ;D as is what the video shows :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Hypnotising Chickens +
Post by: Hermit on October 17, 2012, 10:14:28 am
All I have to do with the turkeys is switch the light on, they all just shut up and stare at the bulb till it goes off again.
Title: Re: Hypnotising Chickens +
Post by: littlelugs on October 17, 2012, 12:38:12 pm
can i just say that the line drawing method totally does work!  :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim:  (i didnt try it honestly) :innocent: