Last weekend I made a big bucket list tick and finally got to go to Terry Ryan's Chicken Camp. Thanks to the lovelies at Paw Prints Pet Training, the dream was realised! I cannot recommend it enough to anyone wanting to be a better trainer, or to chicken enthusiasts in general!
What I learnt:
- Chickens are far easier to train than dogs in many ways. They see it, they get it. BUT - you need to be fast to catch it or they may not give you a second chance.
The chickens were able to learn 3-component behaviour chains in approximately 10 x 30 second training sessions - AMAZING!
- Following on from the above, it is wise to make very short very focused sessions. Meaning SHORT like less than a minute on one thing.
I have always used brief and focused dog training but I learnt that I will probably get better results if I make sessions even shorter and more focused that I currently do.
- CONCENTRATE! my mind wanders, and this is a big barrier to progress.
- BE STILL! I was a big mover, and chickens do not like movement. They want you to be still.
No doubt my dog training will also benefit from the removal of all superfluous movement too. This is really an unconscious part of focusing that I should work to improve.
The chicken preparation was great. Apparently it takes around 2 months to get them used to the intense handling, standing on the table, and staying in their crates.
If only the wider world could understand that all beings are highly intelligent; how then would the world be?
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