How do you get chickens to stop being so skittish?

[Bird is the word]

Speckled Sussex hens are curious and interactive, love them! Also some of our French Marans are more social, and some of our bantam Easter Eggers.
Chickens are prey animals, so many/ most aren't into being held or cuddled. Coming when called and hanging out underfoot is good, and a few might tolerate being handled, or being on your lap.
Puppies and kittens, not chickens!
Mary

Unfortunately there are 2 breeds of chickens in cant own and they are EE and Sussex but I will look in to getting French Marans.

 

[Iluveggers]

Our Welsummer is the friendliest chicken I’ve owned. She will greet me in the morning when I clean out the poop shavings by gently poking me until I stop to pet her. When I let them out of the run and sit with them, the rest get excited to forage but she jumps right on my lap to get snuggles before exploring. My Brahma loves to jump up on me to sit as well. And the Orpington and Sussex.

 

[Happy hen lover]

I've worked with all my hens from 6 weeks on up to eat out my hand. Now my cuddlebugs are 1 leghorn! I Isa brown and my black astrolorp will let me pet her sometimes. My EE are FREAKS as is my RIR and my smokey pearls. Imo it's per bird not breed.

 

[Lonewolfgirl]

How old are these birds? They sound like teenagers, which if that's the case, they'll settle down once they reach point of lay and hormones calm down.

They are around a year and a half?

 

[musikfan]

What breeds are they? And how much time do you spend with them each day, approximately?

I think the secret to a super friendly bird is luck of the draw, unfortunately. Not all of them will want to sit with you even if you do spend a lot of time with them. But it's not unreasonable to expect them to at least accept some minimal level of handling.

I heartily agree with this. I was thinking the same thing. You never know what you are going to get, just like with almost any animal you have. When I had my chicks in the brooder, I'd sit with them almost every day for about 15 or 20 minutes. I got them used to not only me but also my hands specifically, so that they would eventually eat from my hands when I called them. That carried over into the coop. I acquired my current flock when they were fully grown. They were skittish at first but as they got to know me, they became more comfortable. I have a Buff Orp, a Lavender Orp, a Barred Rock, and a Delaware. They are all very different but all of them will eat from my hands. I can pick up my Barred Rock without too much fuss but she does not prefer me to hold her. My Delaware lets me pet her. The key is to earn their trust. Birds tend to be like that. Talk to them a lot and use a higher pitched gentle voice. Otherwise, they just may be wired that way. Also, heaven forbid if you'd lose one or two, but often when others from the flock leave, that could possibly change their personality.

 

[3KillerBs]

Chickens are prey. It's not natural for them to enjoy being held and cuddled because it's too much like being in the clutches of a predator.

In my in-town flock I had one chicken who actively wanted to be held and petted, but that's the only one out of all the birds I've had so far.

 

[Folly's place]

In 30+ years of having chickens, we've had two hens who would volunteer to be held and petted. Both were Jersey Giants, and have been the only ones like that.
We don't make an effort to encourage that sort of cuddling, so maybe some of the hens who like to hang around closely would be that way if we spent time pushing (encouraging) that.
Mary

 

[rosemarythyme]

They are around a year and a half?

Ah sorry that was to the OP, but it sounds like your birds and the OPs are around same age, so the advice here is still relevant.

 

[HumbleAmerican]

Most chickens danger comes from above. Grab a container of treats (I use oats, it’s cheap). Set as low as possible with legs out flat. Then toss them tidbits. Find the line they aren’t comfortable coming closer and feed that line. It will help make them realize you’re no threat.

Wash/rinse/repeat and eventually they’ll follow you around like puppy dogs, and steal treats from your hands before you have a chance to throw them. I’ve only had one that I was able to ‘hold’. My old broody would escape the rooster by jumping up on me. Arm, shoulder, leg….. didn’t matter.

 

[Henfla]

Chickens are prey. It's not natural for them to enjoy being held and cuddled because it's too much like being in the clutches of a predator.

In my in-town flock I had one chicken who actively wanted to be held and petted, but that's the only one out of all the birds I've had so far.

When I sit down on the lawn, my six pullets come and jump on my lap. They love being held and cuddled, so it's just about building trust and being patient. They love when I stroke them over their backs, and especially one of them starts purring when I hold her and cuddle her.