- Sep 15, 2013
- 35
- 2
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This is Spike, he is coming along about 5 months old now. He was given to me as a chick after all of his siblings were eaten by skunks.
We received him and his only surviving sister, Midnight, who had not received as much direct handling as Spike. Spike was pretty chill, not nearly as jumpy as his sister in their younger days. It seems now that I just can't get my hands on him, but when he finally gives up running away (or I trick him with a handful of grass) he's pretty much putty in my hands. He just lays around accepting all the petting and treats, letting out happy chirps and squeals. If you set him down anywhere on the lawn, on the deck, or even in the house he just waits to be picked up. But if he's in the coop or the pen, its a struggle for the books.
Before Spike, we only had adult chickens. A couple NH Reds and a couple Orps, each with their own comfort regarding human contact. Usually only the Orps tolerated being held, one even enjoyed it. Spike and Midnight are the first chickens we personally raised from chicks (we've got about 16 more chicks now all reaching 2 months in age that we hatched.)
Down to the point now, I'm just asking why. Why is he so scared of me, yet calm when I hold him? Should I expect this from all of my chicks or will it vary, does anything in particular cause it or is it pretty much up to nature who ends up with which attitudes?
We received him and his only surviving sister, Midnight, who had not received as much direct handling as Spike. Spike was pretty chill, not nearly as jumpy as his sister in their younger days. It seems now that I just can't get my hands on him, but when he finally gives up running away (or I trick him with a handful of grass) he's pretty much putty in my hands. He just lays around accepting all the petting and treats, letting out happy chirps and squeals. If you set him down anywhere on the lawn, on the deck, or even in the house he just waits to be picked up. But if he's in the coop or the pen, its a struggle for the books.
Before Spike, we only had adult chickens. A couple NH Reds and a couple Orps, each with their own comfort regarding human contact. Usually only the Orps tolerated being held, one even enjoyed it. Spike and Midnight are the first chickens we personally raised from chicks (we've got about 16 more chicks now all reaching 2 months in age that we hatched.)
Down to the point now, I'm just asking why. Why is he so scared of me, yet calm when I hold him? Should I expect this from all of my chicks or will it vary, does anything in particular cause it or is it pretty much up to nature who ends up with which attitudes?
