Others I see hold their chickens

[centrarchid]

``Avoid touching head or back as that can interpreted as aggression. Touch flank and breast. Avoid looking directly at bird. Get birds to approach you, not other way around.

 

[chickalicia]

Yes it will be hard to separate them. He is protective of them lol. That is a beautiful chicken u have. How many?

 

[Iceman23]

Yes it will be hard to separate them. He is protective of them lol. That is a beautiful chicken u have. How many?

Thank you. We have 6 chickens, all different breeds. But isnt every man protective of his ladies? haha.

 

[chickalicia]

Lol. Yes indeed.

I have my v first egg hatching.

 

[Iceman23]

Lol. Yes indeed.

I have my v first egg hatching.

Thats sooo exciting!

 

[uzisuzuki]

I've noticed that it seems to be up to the personality of the chicken itself. My Polish hens can be both flighty and docile/easy to pick up. They weren't very fond of my handling them when I first got them (they were already about 8 months old). I just got in there and picked them up every day and made sure they associated the sound of their treats being shaken around in a little plastic bowl with me. One is still pretty flighty a majority of the time (but she's also the low hen on the pecking order), one follows me around their pen like my dogs follow me, and the other two are in the middle. My rooster is a Sebright, so even when he does get chippy with me, he's probably 2lbs at the most and is pretty easy to handle. It also helps that he just likes being held or carried around. Most of the time, he just piggybacks on my shoulder or in the hood of my hoodie.

If you can't run after them a little bit (I can't really do that due to injuries from a car accident), I would wait until they were getting settled for the night to pick them up when I first got the hens. They are a lot more agreeable to being handled then. I don't know if this actually works or if I just lucked out on acquiring chickens that don't mind being handled, but it might be worth a shot if you want to be able to handle yours more.

 

[Sqwidy]

You don't mention if you raised these six-month olds from the time they were baby chicks. That's usually the best way to achieve lap hens. These older ones should come around in time, as long as they're inclined to be people friendly in their genes, some breeds being more stand-offish than others.

If you want the next batch of chicks to be super friendly, you need to raise them in a side-access brooder. None of this handling from above by thrusting your hands down into the box, scaring the living daylights out of them.

From the first week, they should be held frequently to accustom them to being handled. While they're in the brooder, it's an excellent time to train them to come to you, using voice cues and employing treats. It's easy to train them to walk onto your hand and it aids tremendously in being able to handle them easily.

But it all begins in the first days of your chicks' lives with a side access brooder.

Post note: chicks raised by a broody hen will probably not end up being the people friendly chickens you're seeking.

Thanks for the tip on the side opening! Makes total sense. Mine are two weeks old in a top opening. Think it's worth setting up a new box? (I live in Austin, where it's already 80 in the afternoon. So as soon as they're old enough they can head outside.)

 

[azygous]

It's not too late to remodel the brooder box and cut a side access into it. You'll notice a huge difference immediately. Another good way to get friendly with your chicks is to take them on field trips outdoors. It's plenty warm where you are, so take advantage of nice days and let them romp as long as it's in the high 70s or above. They can spend all day outside in a play pen and just be brought in at night to their brooder.

I leave their carrier nearby so they can go into it and pile up if they begin to chill. it's easy then to tell when they need to go back in the brooder.

 

[Sqwidy]

It's not too late to remodel the brooder box and cut a side access into it. You'll notice a huge difference immediately. Another good way to get friendly with your chicks is to take them on field trips outdoors. It's plenty warm where you are, so take advantage of nice days and let them romp as long as it's in the high 70s or above. They can spend all day outside in a play pen and just be brought in at night to their brooder.

I leave their carrier nearby so they can go into it and pile up if they begin to chill. it's easy then to tell when they need to go back in the brooder.

Awesome! Thanks so much