4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[thebdj]

I notice from Griffin's posts that her chicks sit in her hand and look like they love being handled and appear very tame. I wouldn't descibe mine as feral but they are none too chuffed by my presence.

 

Now in fairness they were hatched from the incubator and currently live in a little 9 foot square run in the shed. Whenever I go to see them or change their water or food or bedding or just be nice to them, they run for the corners and get very scared, sometimes clambering over each other to escape my evil clutches!

 

I try to invest time in them by just sitting in the shed or sometimes dangling my hands in which does eventually draw some inquisitve chickies over but they still tend to ignore me. And if I do pick one of them up just to check their development, clean their little bums or whatever, they get very distressed.

 

Is this the difference between chicks from a broody or an incubator, am I being impatient or am I rubbish? What do you think?

[Egluntyne]

The ones I have raised under a broody are not used to being handled, whereas the chicks I have raised in the incubator were handled from day one. They still took a bit of catching though.

[Griffin]

Don't be fooled by my pics, you can't see the bluetack No seriously, the broody raised chicks are nervous of me, even their mum tells them I'm going to gobble them up, but with four children, a gazillion other chickens the other side of their run and three dogs in the garden regularly, they eventually become fairly bomb proof. They get handled a lot, whether they like it or not, and in turn grow into fairly confident chickens. Some breeds are friendlier than others though. My Poland Olive will follow me around the garden and stand by my feet begging to be picked up. We've got a young black Orpington boy who is going to break everyones heart because he can't stay but we're enjoying him while we can as he is so friendly and he loves to jump on my lap for cuddles. My Faverolles are friendly too but I'd say the Silkies are indifferent, unless there's food about, they don't seek me out for attention. My seven week old Pekin was incubator hatched and still hates me but I'm persevering and I know eventually she'll come round.

 

I think what you'll find is that they copy each other. My Ancona grower had seen the Orpington lad jump on my lap and enjoy his cuddles. Eventually she started to do the same thing, jumped on my lap. Her friends saw what she did and they've started doing it too. It's like they've realised it's something quite nice to do and feels good. They saw I hadn't murdered her and she'd seemed quite happy to repeat it

 

So with little chicks in the brooder you should get them out one at a time for cuddles and eventually they'll realise actually it's not so bad afterall.

[thebdj]

Ok well this seems like advice I wanted to hear. I hadn't kept picking them up because I thought it would be better to leave them but actually getting them used to being handled should be much better!

 

On the subject of my other chickens, they are a mixed bunch and do not enjoy being touched or picked up. Some of them have tamed so I can stroke them just about and one of my silkie bantams is always at my feet. She'll happily let me stroke her and pick her up but soon struggles and wants to be on the floor again.

 

All this 'chickens on laps' things seems miles away for me and I invest so much time in them all it's chronic. I want to see something back, more than just a few eggs

[Redwing]

I choose one every evening to come and watch telly with me joking apart this really helps them get used to being handled as they are very sleepy and docile late in the day

 

Chris Moyles gets telly every evening because he is such a little delight and he has become very tame

[thebdj]

You actually bring them in the house to watch telly with you? Am I missing something here? Do they not poo all over you?

[Redwing]

They are in a brooder in the kitchen so are already indoors

 

An old tea towel catches the poo

[ChrisEllis]

I agree...i quite like to sit with mine for a while...havent yet ventured them into the Kitchen for some tv. but i must say the first fea days they hatched i was just with them for so long and handling them constantly, one of them still runs now and again but the other two stay still to be picked up and they settle down straight away and sometimes fall asleep

[Egluntyne]

They are in a brooder in the kitchen so are already indoors

 

An old tea towel catches the poo

 

* Note to self. When visiting Tasha - take disposable cups. Just kidding!

[Chook n Boo Mum]

The Bufflings have started coming to me for food......and stand just where I want to put my great big foot as I climb in to the run daft little things.....I can now grab the two boys fairly easily, but Mistress Viola is a right little minx...likes diamonds but not cuddles .

 

If I'm sitting in the run feeding Buffie, Little Yellow Legs leaps up on my lap to snaffle mum's tea & climbs up my arm to sit on my shoulder...I shall miss him if he starts crowing & has to leave us

 

They all still scream blue murder when I do pick them up...but then so does Buffie

 

Sha x

[thebdj]

I'm still desperately jealous that you have all these cool stories of sitting with your girls and they climb on you and love being petted. I'll just keep picking them all up all the time They WILL enjoy it. They just WILL!

[laurmurf]

my first hatch are all 3 months old now and all behave very differently towards us, although we've behaved similarly towards them - i'm beginning to believe it's breed dependent too. Our araucanas are wildly tame - particularly Basil, who has been taught tricks and is more parrot than chicken. The Marsh Daisy is convinced we're out for blood as is the Scots Dumpy. Our Scots grey is just plain stooopid and the Silkie doesn't give a damn.

 

the morale of the story is - luck of the draw or just go for araucana cockerels!

[Griffin]

 

Balance them on your head to make them tame

[thebdj]

Great description of the silkie. Always told they are so tame, well they certainly aren't feral but they don't seem to care for you or anything. They're like stoners! Sort of remind me of Neil from The Young Ones ... Anyway ...

 

As it happens, of my first hatch, 5 are Araucanas so I'm bound to have a cockerel in there. At least one will like me then!

[thebdj]

Griffin,

 

That chick appears to have a child stuck to it's bum

 

Justin

 

PS - You're now all bullying me cos my chicks don't like me and yours are circus trained!

[laurmurf]

Griffin,

 

That chick appears to have a child stuck to it's bum

 

 

that's a rather surprising prolapse... wouldn't care to try to push that back in

[Redwing]

Griffin,

 

That chick appears to have a child stuck to it's bum

 

 

that's a rather surprising prolapse... wouldn't care to try to push that back in