I guess we've been training our flock all along, without realizing it. Anytime hubby comes home from work and they hear the garage door open, they all run to the gate, knowing he'll be out there soon to give them treats. Anytime we even open the sliding glass door to the back yard, they hear it and again, come running to the gate expecting to be paid attention to. And of course, when we do go out to the huge chicken run (we have LOTS of space for our flock), they all come waddling/running/flying over to the fence and are lined up watching our approach, long before we arrive. They know treats and/or yummy kitchen scraps are in the works! They are so programmed to come when we are present, that we can go out there with nothing, simply to check eggs, and they congregate around us and follow us incessantly, making their friendly noises and saying, "hi." We've bonded quite well with our flock, and they definitely come running, even without us saying a word.
I guess we've been training our flock all along, without realizing it. Anytime hubby comes home from work and they hear the garage door open, they all run to the gate, knowing he'll be out there soon to give them treats. Anytime we even open the sliding glass door to the back yard, they hear it and again, come running to the gate expecting to be paid attention to. And of course, when we do go out to the huge chicken run (we have LOTS of space for our flock), they all come waddling/running/flying over to the fence and are lined up watching our approach, long before we arrive. They know treats and/or yummy kitchen scraps are in the works! They are so programmed to come when we are present, that we can go out there with nothing, simply to check eggs, and they congregate around us and follow us incessantly, making their friendly noises and saying, "hi." We've bonded quite well with our flock, and they definitely come running, even without us saying a word.