Special Bonds with a Chicken- share stories here

[Daisy716]

Hello everyone,

I thought it would be nice to have a thread where people could talk and share stories about any special bonds they've had/have with a chicken. (Sorry if there are any similar ones out there)

We own 5 chickens which we bought three years ago, they are hybrids, love eating our leftovers and have laid us lots of eggs. Although I've always enjoyed watching them, I've never got close to them or been able to stroke any of them.

A couple of months ago we decided to incubate 5 eggs and raise some chicks. Sadly, only one of the chicks hatched, a silver cuckoo maran. We think he may be a cockerel though we are not 100% sure - I've always called him Little Chick! Since he was born I have always picked him up and given him cuddles, I used to hold him in my hand and he would crawl up my chest to nestle under my neck, underneath my hair. He used to also copy my finger movements to learn how to drink water and eat his food. As he has got bigger our bond has grown and I can still pick him up as easily as when he was a day old. Whenever I pick him up, he still nestles into my neck and he often falls asleep, stretching his neck completely out (which I can only assume means he is completely chilled?). He lets me stroke him and often makes contented chirrups whilst I hold him. He also sometimes runs his beak across my face lightly (not really sure what that's about either?). It feels really special as I've not bonded with a bird before, it feels more of an achievement than bonding with a dog or cat.

So, have any of you experienced anything similar or any similar behaviours? It would be lovely to hear other people's stories too.

Some photos (more to come with a proper camera):

Little Chick when he was a couple of days old:



Little Chick basking on a hot water bottle (we found him like this and were very amused- I think he likes the heat!):



Not so little chick anymore, this is him now, showing how he lies across me!

...

 

[gingerpeach22]

I love the photo of the chick soaking up the heat on the hot water bottle! I have one hen which likes to sit on my thigh - I sit on a pad on the floor with legs outstretched. She lies down and I put my hand around her front and side making it feel like a nest, I guess. She looks up with her innocent round eye, makes sounds, and often relaxes enough to close her eye for a short nap. I can stroke her back but usually just rest a palm on her back which she accepts. Her name is Buffy.

 

[pdx2phx]

Hello everyone,

I thought it would be nice to have a thread where people could talk and share stories about any special bonds they've had/have with a chicken. (Sorry if there are any similar ones out there)

We own 5 chickens which we bought three years ago, they are hybrids, love eating our leftovers and have laid us lots of eggs. Although I've always enjoyed watching them, I've never got close to them or been able to stroke any of them.

A couple of months ago we decided to incubate 5 eggs and raise some chicks. Sadly, only one of the chicks hatched, a silver cuckoo maran. We think he may be a cockerel though we are not 100% sure - I've always called him Little Chick! Since he was born I have always picked him up and given him cuddles, I used to hold him in my hand and he would crawl up my chest to nestle under my neck, underneath my hair. He used to also copy my finger movements to learn how to drink water and eat his food. As he has got bigger our bond has grown and I can still pick him up as easily as when he was a day old. Whenever I pick him up, he still nestles into my neck and he often falls asleep, stretching his neck completely out (which I can only assume means he is completely chilled?). He lets me stroke him and often makes contented chirrups whilst I hold him. He also sometimes runs his beak across my face lightly (not really sure what that's about either?). It feels really special as I've not bonded with a bird before, it feels more of an achievement than bonding with a dog or cat.

So, have any of you experienced anything similar or any similar behaviours? It would be lovely to hear other people's stories too.

Some photos (more to come with a proper camera):

Little Chick when he was a couple of days old:



Little Chick basking on a hot water bottle (we found him like this and were very amused- I think he likes the heat!):



Not so little chick anymore, this is him now, showing how he lies across me!

...

Great photos...I love the water bottle and cuddling poses!

 

[Daisy716]

I love the photo of the chick soaking up the heat on the hot water bottle! I have one hen which likes to sit on my thigh - I sit on a pad on the floor with legs outstretched. She lies down and I put my hand around her front and side making it feel like a nest, I guess. She looks up with her innocent round eye, makes sounds, and often relaxes enough to close her eye for a short nap. I can stroke her back but usually just rest a palm on her back which she accepts. Her name is Buffy.

Thanks! When I first saw him lying like that I did a complete double-take, but he lay like that every time we refilled his hot water bottle- very amusing.

That sounds lovely What kind of chicken is she? How old is she?

Great photos...I love the water bottle and cuddling poses!

Thanks! I've shown the picture of me cuddling him to a couple of my friends and their first thought was that I was wearing a strange type of scarf, I had to point out it was actually a real life chicken! He just completely splays out on me!

 

[Reurra]

The closest I have ever bonded with a bird was one I raise from 1 week old. She wasnt special in any way really, and she was never a cuddler. However, a few weeks ago i rehomed her to retire on a farm where she can enjoy her last years free ranging. I went over to pick up a rooster from the same farm, and guess who came and checked me out? She even let me touch her. I think she remembered.

Raven




Another bird i had was a red comet rescue named Frightful. She and her sister were the first hens I ever had. One day though she became egg bound and just didnt seem to recover. I had to put her down. She would always let us carry her around, and was always talking to us when we came in the coop.

Frightful

 

[Daisy716]

The closest I have ever bonded with a bird was one I raise from 1 week old. She wasnt special in any way really, and she was never a cuddler. However, a few weeks ago i rehomed her to retire on a farm where she can enjoy her last years free ranging. I went over to pick up a rooster from the same farm, and guess who came and checked me out? She even let me touch her. I think she remembered.

Raven




Another bird i had was a red comet rescue named Frightful. She and her sister were the first hens I ever had. One day though she became egg bound and just didnt seem to recover. I had to put her down. She would always let us carry her around, and was always talking to us when we came in the coop.

Frightful

Thanks for sharing your photos on here- both chickens look lovely, I particularly like Raven

That's really cool that Raven remembered you, it's nice to think that they do recognise and remember people, particularly if they are raised by them. It's a shame about Frightful, we also lost a chicken because she became egg-bound, unfortunately it happened at night so we didn't realise until it was too late.

 

[gingerpeach22]

Daisy, my lap sitter is a Buff Orpington named, Buffy. She is one year old. When I let my hens free range, I can later call them and they come running through the woods. It is so cute to see them toddling, getting over branches and logs, and then to keep on coming. Here they are coming to me over dry leaves in the woods.

 

[sarahjessica]

My sweetest baby is named mustard. In my agriculture class we incubated chicken and turkey eggs, I kept one chicken and one turkey. The turkey is also a sweety but she only likes to come by you, not be touched. Anyways, Mustard used to perch on my arm and finger like a parrot as a chick. She is now 3 months and absolutely LOVES her belly rubbed. She gets in your face if you're not paying attention to her, and makes the cutest clucks when you rub her tummy, sometimes she'll even lay down and fall asleep. I left for three weeks on a road trip out west, the day i came back i went in the coop and she plopped down by my foot to rest. She is just so sweet! I also have a rooster named Snape who will let me pick him up and play with his gobble! Yeah i call
it gobble...but he's a cochin! Most docile big guy ever. Below is my mustard baby laying by my foot.

 

[loverofbirds14]

I had a silkie named Little Silk, who absolutely adored me. She was really shy as a chick and got beat up a lot. I was always the one who rescued her and she always loved me after that. She would always walk right up to me and I would often carry her around on my arm or shoulder. I even took her to the fair and carried her around on my shoulder and some person thought she was an extremely tame rabbit!

Sadly she passed on a couple years ago...