4 and 6 wk old chicks. too old to establish relationship?

[jaxia]

hello all!

i am fairly new to being a chicken momma, i got my first 2 chicks may 19th. one barred rock (Amy Farrah Fowler) and the other was still up in the air, ive heard cinnamon something or a golden sex link, my daughter named her goldie or choco. well goldie got a lil too curious of the dogs at the fence line and i guess it was just pure bad luck but she got pulled thru and passed away. we really thot we had the area secure but btwn her scratching and the dog there was one spot that was weak, i was devastated, my daughter took it like a champ tho. well after we got the fence triple secured we went to get more chickens. i wanted them to b close to Amys age and size for easy transition. i really think i should have just sucked it up and raised chicks again but o well hind sight and all...we found a farm who had chicks ranging from day old to 8 weeks. i dont think this farmer was able to establish human to chicken relations with so many running around or else he just doesn't baby his like i do mine.

they had way more space than i was able to offer so chasing them was pretty insane. i managed to get 2 pullets. approx 4 and 6 weeks old. one is barred like Amy but she has some brown or copper around her neck and down her breast. at least i can tell em apart when they are hens but i wonder what would cause that? the other is all black with copper bleeding in around her neck and breast area. beautiful birds. ive had em a week now and they are still skittish, of course i would be too considering im the crazy lady who chased em down and put em in a cat carrier and drove em around for an hour, but i worry it wont ever b the same as the relationship i have with Amy, she is such a mommas girl. she has calmed down a lot in regards to pecking the babies but of course they assume she is still gonna peck em so they run from her. ive noticed they graze closer to her and me as the week has progressed but if i cant get some contact with them soon i worry ill have wild chickens and that wont help replacing my daughters chick. this is why i wish i had just gotten day olds but the hub was so against doing that again and i didn't push cuz i was glad to have my garage back. ive spent time sitting in there with a different types of snacks and talk to them everyday. ive bribed them with every type of food i can imagine! are there any other suggestions? or is it just a time factor?

 

[LRH97]

Just keep at it and don't give up! The more time you spend with your birds, the more used to you they will get. I've rescued a few battery hens, that have had virtually no human contact. With time, they have become just as sweet as their flock mates. Best of luck and I would love to see pictures of your newbies. It would also be much easier with pictures if you're unsure of breed and you want some opinions.

 

[jaxia]

i will try to get pix of the newbies tomo. its very hard considering i cant get very close to them. i should have taken some when i was getting them out of the carrier. hind sight again lol.

i spend at least a couple hours in the run with them daily so if its time they need i give them plenty.

 

[ShockValue]

Find a favorite treat of theirs (mine love uncooked oatmeal and grapes. They will murder me in my sleep for raw ground beef....)

Sit on the ground in the yard when things are calm and quiet and throw the treats out to them. Then throw them a little closer to you.. Then closer...
It will probably take a while before they get really close... But a way to a chickens heart (and trust) is through calm movements, treats, and time.

You may have to put your original girl away during this time if she runs in and hogs the treats and derails the process

 

[jaxia]

I did think about the fact that having Amy around when im trying this may not be the easiest/quickest way but I have a problem. We built our coop. Looked up numerous ideas/designs online and checked out what our local tractor supply (atwoods) had for sale. Came up with our plan and my hub n I built it. Has an attached run with chicken wire doors etc. When we put it in the yard and fenced in an outdoor run we ran into a problem. It needs a door! lol. So we are using one of the doors to our attached coop run. When its open for them to range it is the door that closes the run. Does that make sense? Anyways. If I were to put Amy up id have to lock her in the coop. Or let her roam my yard, which she loves to do, under someone elses supervision and hope she doesnt get jealous and ram the fence. Yes she has done this. I worry about her lil neck. Ill give it a shot and if the yard is enuf of a distraction then great! If not ill coop her for a lil bit.

Ty all for the advice! Ill post any updates

 

[Mrs. K]

Don't worry about it. They will bond with the original chicken first. Because she is calm around you, they will become calm around you, they are a flock animal, and will trust the older chicken's judgment. In this situation they are not a "flock" yet.

Keep feeding them, don't try and catch them and they will calm down. I do know people that have had success petting them at night while on the roost.

Mrs K

 

[jaxia]

Thank you all for the suggestions and words of encouragement. Today I had the hub supervise Amy out in the yard and I sat inside the run with some meal worms. They came closer to me each time and one even snatched one out of my hand! Progress! now I know the perfect treat and they know I have them.

 

[jaxia]

Ok here are my new additions. The BR has that copper on her back as well. Like inbtwn her wings.