Are your chickens tame????

[JP33]

I've seen lots of pics of members holding their chickens or their chickens perched on their shoulders, etc... Mine follow me around, come right up to me, against me, I can feed them by hand but generally speaking, they don't care to picked up. They put up with it but are happier to be on the ground.

One thing I learned is if you really need to pick one up in particular that just doesn't want to be held, wait til after dark or early morning before daybreak, while they're on the roost. Also the best time to clip their wings.


...JP

 

[lauralou]

My chickens are tame, for the most part.

Originally, I bought 5 point of lay pullets. They hadn't been handled much, if at all, and they were pretty wild. They calmed down as they got used to us. One never got tame, though. It was just her personality. She would absolutely freak out if we had to catch and hold her for some reason. The two of those girls that I still have are quite friendly.

Then I got 10 hatchery pullets. Raised them in the house. They were all extremely tame. Except one. Again, just her personality. If we need to handle her for some reason, we catch her on the roost.

After that, the only additions to the flock have been chicks hatched and raised by broody hens. They tend to be much less tame. Until they start laying. Then they calm down considerably. But it varies by the personality of the hen. Some are so friendly that it's ridiculous, some not so much so. But all are easily handled. We fool with them a lot.

I've never kept a rooster to maturity after our first one. He was scary! So I can't really comment on tame roosters. Generally speaking, I don't handle them much at all. I have 7 young ones right now. One batch was raised by my favorite broody hen, who teaches her babies to come to people. So those guys are pretty calm and nice. They are always underfoot, but I hardly ever pick them up. Only if I need to for some reason. It's working out well for all of us. I plan to keep at least 2 of the 7, and I don't mean to even try and make them friendly. I want them to have a bit of fear of me. Because if they attack, they're goners!

 

[KKatknap]

Quote:
Aaaaaaaw...cute

I have a couple who are tame in that they hang out with me...they will let me pick them up, but they don't love it. There are certain breeds more likely to be pets. If you have one of those breeds, and you handle them a lot growing up, they will undoubtedly be good pets. (A few that come to mind right off are the orpingtons, silkies, turkens, and cochins)

 

[lauriruth]

Mine were brooded in the house with me and my dog and cat. worked great...then they moved out to the coop....for a week or two they would fly up and sit on me if i sat down. now (almost 16 wks) no chance. even the most cherished grape won't lure them onto my lap. if i try to pick them up it sounds like the tx. chain saw masacre. every weekend i try to catch each one and FORCE them to be held for a few minutes each. but they don't enjoy it like they used to...guess none of the four have the temperment i hoped for....i keep trying though! BSL is the best so far. cant get near the SLW, but she's a hoot to watch...quick little dickens.

 

[Andi]

I tried doing a lot of multiple daily handlings when mine were chicks. As they got a little older and quicker they discovered they could avoid me. Then it only turned into a chase, which only encouraged them to avoid me, so I quit. They always would run up to say hi and see if I had treats, but if I tried petting them the friendship was off. After they started laying they've tamed considerably. They now allow me to pet them (although its because they are doing the squat) and don't seem to mind me picking them up. They do each have their personalities and some are shier then others. The shiest of my girls is my BA and the friendliest is my California White, with the 2 EEs falling in the middle.

 

[possumqueen]

I had speckled sussex a few years ago that were calm and VERY laid back. I've rescued the cornish cross birds that fell off the trucks near my house, and they were very tame -- although in their case it was more passiveness than tameness.

On the other hand, when I got the speckled sussex from Murray McMurray they came with a spangled hamburg rooster. He was wild as a buck from the get-go. He grew up wild, he stayed wild, and he could fly like a kite. When I finally did catch him one day I promptly gave him away to a neighbor who had hamburgs. "Yeah, they're real pretty," he said, but he 'llowed as how they could be a mite skittish.

 

[chickenmamalp]

Quote:
Thanks for the laugh!!My husband and I seem to be doing alot of "crazy things" lately. My husband who is from New York and has not been around animals, is funny to watch, he is now collecting bugs around the yard and feeding them to the girls!!!!!!!!!

:

 

[jaboo81]

I handled all my chicks the same way and about half are tame half are wild. I think it just depends on their personality. I have noticed that all my big reds are tame compered to the small whites.

 

[chickenmamalp]

Quote:
Great pics! That's what I hope for (except if they poop on me).

 

[elmo]

Most birds, including chickens, don't really like to be petted, per se. You'll find an occasional individual bird that either likes it or doesn't mind it. You can try petting the feathers on the backs of their necks (they can't reach there themselves to preen) and see if they like it.

Ours have gotten used to being picked up, but prefer being given the choice of stepping up (like a parrot would) onto our arms, or just flying up into our laps. One of our hens will fly up onto my daughter's arm if she just sticks out her arm.

We spend lots of time just hanging out with our flock, sitting in chairs, watching them. And of course we always bring out treats: mealworms, fresh corn cut from the cob, etc. Make time with your chickens routine, and you'll probably find many of them will become as tame as you like.