petting chicks

[azygous]

Give the tiny things a couple days to settle in. Around the third or fourth day, you can get two chicks at a time out of the brooder and snuggle with them under your chin, talking to them softly so they'll get to know your voice. Taking two at a time is reassuring to them that their mates aren't abandoning them.

Make sure you have a towel to protect your clothes from the little poop machines, but it's pretty tiny during the first four weeks. Cuddling with them will get them used to be handled, and they should come to love it. Mine usually scratch around in my lap and fall asleep.

Also, by the second week, you can begin to give them treats, and get them trained to come to you on a signal. It can be a single word said a certain way every time. This will make it easy to gather them up when you need to, instead of having to chase them down. Trust me on this. This will be the most useful training you'll do.

I usually place a small tray of sand in the brooder for them to frolic in, and it supplies them with the necessary grit to digest the treats you give them.

 

[showjumper_girl2002]

I've cuddled with my 5 chicks every day since they first fluffed up after hatching. They are the sweetest chicks ever! They're going on 2 months now and still jump all over me and cuddle in my lap, even jack my roo all of them love to be held and snuggled with. Shock, one of my hens, likes to curl up and snuggle in the crease of my arm and sleep they all come when I call too. When I sit outside with them they stay right by me so they can jump in my lap and sneak in some cuddle time when they're taking a break from bug hunting this is my first experience with chickens and I had no idea how affectionate they could be! I'm hooked and completely in love!

 

[CStulceSmith]

We got our new americauna/bantam mix.....shes beautiful and super friendly! We love her! Shes named lil momma.

 

[azygous]

Goes to prove how cuddling and handling chicks all through babyhood results in very affectionate, tame, easy to handle chickens. No one should be afraid to handle baby chicks as much as they like during their earliest weeks.

And I, too, still marvel over how affectionate chickens are capable of being.

 

[CStulceSmith]

Lil Momma.

 

[azygous]

That is, without a doubt, one of the sweetest little faces I've ever seen!

 

[deejeff442]

i have a grey americana . my favorite out of all the chickens we have. i swear their face looks like a hawk.mine is very brave she dont care ,when i come in with the veggie buck she flies up everytime.yea and she also b lines it to the door when i open it and has gotten half way out a few times.

 

[slipshift]

You could give them a few pieces of cooked spaghetti. When the find out they like it, dangle a piece from your fingers. After they start taking it that way, put some in your hand and hold your hand down on the bottom of the brooder. They lose a lot of fear when it comes to food.

Jim

 

[slipshift]

Sorry about the double post, I don't know how to delete.

Jim

 

[steveurkel]

How old? Day olds? Adults?

Read the tips on side-access brooders in this thread and you'll have a real good head start on their trust and affection.

Later on, when they are mature adults you can do "group hugs". I think my maximum in one of these hug-fests was nine hens, and the rooster loves to get in on them, also. What I do is kneel on the ground and bring in the closest hen for a hug. This signals to the others they're about to miss out on something unless they crowd in and get some. They quickly become addicted, and now all I need to do is be down raking poop from under the coop and everyone will crowd in demanding hugs. I've gotten pretty adept at raking poop from under the coop while two hens are snuggled between my knees.

That is the sweetest thing I've ever seen