I really enjoy watching them grow. In the past I've trained them by making clicking noises whenever I'd throw scraps to them . . . they'd come a-running.
I have a couple of Buff Orpingtons coming via mail order along with some Leghorns and some other breeds I can't find locally, including - because God has a sense of humor - a few Naked Necks (aka: Turkens).
>>>In the past I’ve trained them<<<
They do train pretty well - My wife has one hen who comes running whenever she sees her in the yard. My wife always picks her up and carries her a while - they cluck to each other...
I have one rooster who when he hears me coming, gets up on the top perch and when I bend over to take the top off the waterer, he jumps on my back - and moves to my shoulder - he ‘supervises’ me gathering the eggs from each nest from his command position. Then he jumps off when I am done.
Since I have a small incubator, I have 4 batches already spoken for - people wanting some of their own a bit later in the spring. Geeesh almost 3 months of incubating...