ancona mom (first timer)

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fireflies1987

fireflies1987

In the Brooder
5 Years
Jul 13, 2014
13
0
24
tampa florida
I am from Tampa Florida. I am new to byc. I am also new to owning my own chickens. I just bought 2 Ancona chicks and am wondering if anyone has good advice on how to get them more people friendly. They are still rather shy but then they surprise me. I want them happy healthy and to be awesome chickens.
 
Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

This breed is shy by nature so remember that they won't grow up to be as tame as, say, a silkie would. But that doesn't mean they can't be tamed. The best way to bond with them is to simply hold and cuddle them constantly. Once they get bigger take them outside and call them so they follow you.

Here's some links too.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-raise-a-chicken-as-a-family-pet
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-socialize-baby-chickens
https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center
Good luck and feel free to ask any other questions.
 
Alright
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great to have you joining the BYC flock
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BYC has a very useful learning center
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If you go out and touch them right after they start roosting in the evening in time they will become friendly but if you do this remember they will also use you to rest on all the time .....
 
Hello and
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Spending time sitting around them, generally with treats on hand, helps a lot. You should also talk to them, generally, they are a very social, family-oriented species that uses body language and vocalizations to communicate. As you spend time with them observe their body language and the noises they make, you may take a while to learn what it all means but soon enough you should learn what many noises/behaviors and interactions mean.

If you help find them food, or provide food, and they know you were responsible for the food, they will forge a positive bond with you. That's one easy way to befriend them. Some people tell you not to handfeed your males but I've always done that without problems; after all it's very positive, socially bonding, and natural to the species to receive food from one they trust who has good intentions towards them. Hens find food and give it to their chicks, roosters then in turn find food and give it to the hens, and so forth. At no point is it an abnormal or aggressive behavior. Some people recommend not handling males either but I've always handled mine and not had issues. (A fair bit of that is genetically predisposed and if yours came from human-aggressive stock you can expect a decent chance of them turning aggressive on you sooner or later, sorry.)

It helps to choose a food call and repeat it whenever you feed them. Pretty quickly they will learn to come running when you make that call, and this teaching them to come when called is invaluable for various reasons. Some basic training is good for them. You can also get them used to being handled by letting them eat out of your hand, then moving it until they are jumping onto your lap to get the food. Many will enjoy the warmth of your leg and decide to rest there, once they trust you. Some will also choose to rest in your hand if you put one hand in front of the one with food, so they have to step onto your hand to get food. Those are some simple ways to get them used to being handled and also teach kids to handle them nicely.

Some chooks are quite human-averse and have no interest in people, so if a chicken resists your attempts to befriend it for a year I'd be rid of it because such chooks can, and do, train other chooks to view you as they do, to avoid you or mistrust you.

But, overall, most are quite amenable to the idea of a peaceful, friendly social system involving humans so as you learn and as they learn, gradually you should find your way. :)

It's important to end things on a good note, as that very strongly influences how they perceive the interaction, regardless of what actually happened before the end result. Even if a handling goes badly and the chick panics and flees, having treats in your pocket or whatever to chuck down for them, while making the food call, can rescue a potentially negative outcome.

Tone of voice is important; chickens are very sensitive to it and you will notice how carefully they modulate their own tones when communicating with one another.

Body language is also very important and they can have individual reactions to it, not all being the exact same, so you need to be aware of what you're doing at all times and how they're reacting to it. Quite often when you startle them you can simply make a reassuring noise to them and they will stop fleeing and listen and accept it's nothing to panic about. They will also reassure one another vocally if they accidentally startle one another too, they don't have a problem understanding the concept, but they won't react with trust or by giving you the benefit of the doubt unless of course they already think your intentions are probably not harmful. You'll most likely be surprised by how many different vocal communications they naturally have and can learn to respond to.

Best wishes.
 
Well when I bought them they weren't new chicks they already have their normal feathers... But they sometimes come to me and climb on me and hang out. But I still have issues during the day rounding them up when its time to go to bed. They freak out and run. They are out all day and at night they get put up. But I always pick then up and nuzzle them.
 
Normally you don't have to round them up, they should put themselves back to bed wherever they're used to sleeping, unless they aren't bonded to the place yet.
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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Chicks are naturally scared of people and will see you as a predator at first. Just move slowly around them and don't chase them while trying to round them up to get them into the coop. Go sit with them in the run and bring goodies. Food is a wonderful bonding agent. I sit with my birds every day to keep this bond constant. Talk quietly to them and always make it a positive experience for them. As Mountain Peeps has said, some breeds are always going to be a bit skittish, but you can tame them down somewhat. Don't try to pick them up much for for a while and don't chase them to catch them. When you do hold them, be gentle and reassure them it is ok. And when they come of laying age, they will calm down more too. Once they start squatting, it is easy to pick them up.

Good luck with your new babies and welcome to our flock!
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! You've gotten some good advice and links above, good luck with your new flock!
 
Welcome To BYC! You've gotten some good advice and links from the other members. Anconas are excellent forgers, but very high strung, flighty birds (like most Mediterranean class breeds). Good luck in taming them down.
 

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