THE HOW TO DO IT BIT,
CONTENTS INC,
TEACH YOUR BIRD TO TALK.
TEACH STEP-UP.
TEACH FLY TIME & RETURN TO CAGE.
TEACH YOUR BIRD TO SHAKE HANDS.
TREASURE HUNT.
HYPNOTIZE A CHICKEN.
PUT A BIRD TO SLEEP. ROCK A BYE BIRDY.
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Professional trainers & performers always give a little treat to ensure
compliance. Even if it's only a peck at a millet spray. With nervous birds, cover half the back, sides & top of the cage to give them some sense of security. Talk softly to your birds at every opportunity, but don't stand over the cage like a predator. Except for the basic seed, dry, soaked or sprouted. Any of the other foods like, fruit/veg, hard boiled egg & millet spray, nuts etc, can be with held & used in tiny portions as a treat food during training/taming sessions. When training more than one bird, allow the slowest bird to set the pace & keep lessons short birds do not have a long attention span. For their own safety birds should be confined to their cages until step-up & down has been mastered & then not allowed out without you undivided attention.
TEACHING YOUR BIRD TO TALK
Sit by his cage & show the reward & let him have a little taste. Say 'hello' & take a bite yourself, Repeat the 'hello' slowly about 10 times & pretend to take a little bite each time.Pause after the 10th time & give him just a little peck of the treat to keep him interested & focused. Work on him till the word is as good as it is going to get before moving on. Each step or lesson, takes as long as it takes....
Teach him to say, 'Hello,' once he's got it & its as good as its going to get. Move on by adding. 'Hello how are you'. You will be surprised how quick some words are picked up. Don't be in a hurry, just remember how long it took you to learn to talk.. It might be a good idea to teach your bird your phone number..
EASY STEP-UP & DOWN
(1) Hold your hand palm up & offer your bird a little treat food on your fingers, close to a perch so he can eat.
(2) Over the next few feeds move the treat onto your palm just out his reach so he has to step on your fingers to eat. When your bird is happy to perch on your hand & eat.
(3) Get him to step back onto a perch, by gently pressing his belly against the perch to encourage him to step up on to it. Withdraw your hand so you can give them another lesson later. A little practice & job done.
FLY TIME & RETURN
Fly time is better done in the early evening or late afternoon. With a little treat in hand open the cage door. Put your hand in & allow your bird to step-up & eat, slowly take your hand & bird out of the cage. Let him stay on your hand until he realises he's out. Let him explore & encourage him to play with you.
After a good fly, to ensure an easy return, put his favourite treat food in the cage & with a small treat in hand get him to step-up & by lightly pressing on his toes with your thumb you can prevent him flying off & put him back in the cage with a step-down.
SHAKE HANDS
With a his favourite treat between the finger & thumb of one hand. extend your other hand towards & close to your bird as for step up but without the step up request. Your bird will, seeing your extended fingers expects that step up is what you want him to do. So he will put one foot on your finger.
(1) Gently place your thumb onto his toes.
(2) Say "How do," or what ever, & gentle shake his foot.
(3) Offer him a taste of the treat. Before he can compleat the step up.
Moves (1,2,&3) should be done simultaneously.
Most likly he will be so engrossed in the treat he wont realise he still has one foot on the perch or table & the other on your finger.
Remove the treat, release his toes & gently push his foot off your finger with your thumb so he steps back onto the perch or table.
The difference between shake & step-up is. In step up your asking him to come forward towards the treat. In shake you push the treat towards him to prevent him having to step-up to reach it.
After a little practice, you & your bird will be perfect.
TREASURE HUNT
You will need something like, several differentl plastic bottle tops or small lids.
The game is for you to hide a tiny piece of a favourite treat under one of the tops & encourage your bird to find it.
Your bird will enjoy knocking them over to find his treat.
Start with just one lid or top as you may have to help at first as many birds think out of sight means gone...
When your bird is happy to knock over the one lid for his treat. Add another lid, & encourage him to find the right one.
After a few days most birds will knock over as many lids as it takes, to get to a favourite treat.
Remember the smaller the treat, the longer the game will last.
I have to admit that I only ever tried the next two items on chickens, doves & other poultry type birds. I can't guarentee they will work on other birds as I never even tried it.
HYPNOTIZE A CHICKEN
Have someone carefully hold your bird on the ground & have them gently hold his head so his beak just touches the ground. You now score or draw a line from the tip of his beak, straight out in front of him for about 4 or 5ft. While muttering any mumbo jumbo that comes to mind, it adds to the mystery. If they're not comfortable holding the bird you can swop places. It can be done single handed but it takes a little practice. Now instruct your helper to slowly release the bird. The bird should stay with his beak on the line until he is distracted. Do this yourself as soon as your audience is convinced the bird is under your hypnotic spell.
ROCK A BY BIRDY
A little chicanery often used by magicians to conceal a dove during their act. It is the very simple method of putting a bird to sleep. Very carfully tuck the birds head under his wing. I've always used the right one, I don't know if it matters. Now gently rock him asyou would a baby. You will feel him slowly relaxing. In about a further 5 seconds, he will be fast asleep in your hand. Any disurbance will wake him immediately. Have fun..
