Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[spencerwood]

Hi, we have recently gotten two Welsummers. They are quite young, around 6 weeks or so now and we’ve had them a couple of weeks. We’d love them to be friendly and come over to us so that we can stroke them and pick them up etc…. We’ve tried giving them some treats – one arm though the run door holding out some nibbles, throwing a few bits half way to try and get them to come over but they just stay right down the other end and don’t come near. Perhaps we are expecting too much, but from what I’ve read, chickens can be quite affectionate but ours just seem a million miles off at the moment.

 

Does anyone have any tips to help tame chickens or advise on anything else to try?

 

 

Thanks

 

 

Spencer

[Margalot]

Just give them some time, and keep up the human contact, treats will work eventually, mine are completely food motivated, but we do have one hen who just hates being touched and even now she will eat from your hand, but If you dare to stroke she will Bok bok really loudly and run off, hence we have not clipped her wing

 

Once they are in the nest box and a bit dozy, say an hour after roosting you may be able to have a cuddle or get them used to stroking.

 

But going out with the same colour treat bowl, same time seems to work, now when they hear the back door open they rush to see and when I open the storage box where their corn is kept they cannot contain themselves and run back and forth trying to get to me

 

Maybe making a gentle calling noise would help, but routine and lots of humany contact so they can see you are no threat will eventaully get you there

Good luck

 

Mine will now attack for grapes!!

[Egluntyne]

They are too young to be overly friendly. Can't add to Margalot's advice. Just give it time.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Agree with all the above . We used to bring ours (one at a time!) into the house for a cuddle after they'd gone to bed. The novelty soon wore off, but they were quite happy being handled after that .

[*mummy_hen*]

They just need time. If you have room in your run, we spent a little time sat in the run with our ex-batt girlies and they were soon used to us.

 

I also agree about having a calling for them - ours can be anywhere in the garden and i shout 'come on girls' and they will come running. Using a treat bowl also attracts their attention.

 

Persevere as it will be worth it in the end.

[meezers]

Agree with the above posts, they'll get tamer as they get older. One of my new girls is a welsummer and I believe they are supposed to have a calm temperament and be easy to tame - mine is the most nervous of the four, and while the others have been eating from our hands since last saturday, the welsummer didn't pluck up courage until today- and she's much older than yours, she's laying.

[tidygirlsuk]

Some of mine where like that, now i can't get rid of them, . They have also learnt to avoid my 2 year old. i have been advised not treat my chicks yet which are now about 9 weeks.