We picked up four chicks from a local feed store on Saturday, they are about 1.5 weeks old. Two delaware, one black australorp and one silver laced wyandotte. I have a bad feeling that the australorp is a roo but only time will tell.
For now the mission is to get them highly socialized to handling and the dogs, we're teaching the dogs to be gentle and so far everyone is getting along better then excepting (one of our dogs is a little too interested if they're out of their crate but she has a solid "leave it!" and we're going to be working more with her on that). Our deaf/visually impaired australian shepherd is now their flock guardian! He is body blocking the other dogs and giving them the stink eye when they get too close to the crate, also when I introduced him to them outside of the crate he was concerned when one or two wondered off, and kept checking the crate to make sure that I didn't leave one behind!
Two of them (one of the delawares and the wyandotte) are very social already jumping on my hand and falling asleep on me, the other two are a little more standoffish. I can't seem to convince any of them to eat out of my hands, or to try yogurt. I'd like to get them eating out of my hand or out of something I'm holding because I plan to clicker train them. Any suggestions?
This is all four of them at the feed store Butterbean, Cornbread, Beakface Von Lima Bean and Pechuga:
This is Argus our deaf/visually impaired aussie on the job guarding his chicks:
This is "chicken tv"! Happening a lot at our house!
Argus guarding the crate from Gator:
Gator's signature trick is balancing things on his head, here he is with Cornbread the very sweet delaware chick
Chick Magnet :p
