The Red Headlamp Trick

Here's a fun "sharing because it doesn't seem like common knowledge" post.
Any time I have to do any doctoring to my chickens (paste butt, banding, medicating, etc.) I do not bother with the hassle trying to catch them in broad daylight. Too much stress for everyone involved, and some of them are pretty hard to catch, especially the rooster.

So building off the notion that they can't see red heat lamps, I started using the red setting on a headlamp. Works like a charm!
I see them, they don't see me, everybody stays calm in the dark.

Here's a picture of me fondling the roosters wattles... just because I can.
His is the look of "what is this mysterious unseen force touching my face in the dark?!"

Genius!  I will need to add that to my bag of tricks.

But hopefully, I won’t have to address “paste butt” (whatever that is!)

Artie Scott wrote:

But hopefully, I won’t have to address “paste butt” (whatever that is!)

Good luck to you :)  Everyone I know with chickens has had to deal with it at some point.

Yep red lights work well. One of my neighbors has a chicken house and always gets comments about the red light inside.

Artie Scott wrote:Genius!  I will need to add that to my bag of tricks.

But hopefully, I won’t have to address “paste butt” (whatever that is!)

I guess paste butt is usually how it's described in chicks. Then they get poop pasted to their little butts holes and you have to clean it before they get blocked up.
But in this case I'm referring the adult version where they get too much butt crusty grossness in the vent fluff that needs cleaned (cut or plucked out.) Usually in the early spring when they start eating a ton of grass. Some breeds are worse than others. My Rhode Island Reds and Plymouth Rocks get it, my Speckled Sussex do not.

Thanks for the post.

Yes! Night time is the best time to handle the birds! They get lethargic and don't overreact.

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Here's a picture of me fondling the roosters wattles... just because I can.
His is the look of "what is this mysterious unseen force touching my face in the dark?!"


This explains allot! ...lol alien abduction explained! ...hahaha
Thanks for the chuckle! Now I know better or how to better handle chickens. I think Rocky Balboa used the chasing the chicken exercise to become quick I'm sure he only had to do it until his big fight but having to do it every day or even often is probably pretty challenging I know the blessing that chickens can be in a yard they'll make your soil wonderful like gold I did that here in a 12 x 20 yard I was able to grow 50 papaya trees along the fence line then had rows of lettuce cherry tomatoes even tried to get some broccoli out of that I did plant a almond tree from seed and by the time hurricane Wilma came around it was 8 feet tall and full of brand-new almonds I'll never forget that and those chickens I had to chickens and one turkey named Big Bird the hummingbirds and Paulette other pollinators that would come through the yard we're just wonderful in the evening had to move away because of noisy neighbors and broken pipes underneath the apartment but it had that nice little yard and I made great use of it it was wonderful.

What a great idea!!  As a noobie to chickens, I'm definitely going to add this to my bag of tricks.  

Thanks for the tip.