At what age did your chicks warm up to you?

[navasima]

Some of our little ones tolerated being held from the time they came home (6 days) and others still act like we want to eat them 3 weeks later.....
The ones that I got when they were 10-12 weeks old were pretty wild, but warmed up right quick when they realized I could have yogurt or mealworms anytime!

I'm not proud - I'm sticking to the bribe!!

 

[moodlymoo]

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My Delaware is my favorite of my whole flock. At 2 weeks she would come running and jumping around for me to pick her up. I handle mine daily, all of them even if they run away.

 

[SteveBaz]

Nothing like luv and investing time. Patients with soft words. I am big as a person 6'1" so I sat on a milk crate for weeks and feed them rice, spaghetti and treats by hand making them take 1 at a time each unless they were chasing one for the very same I was offering. LMAO!! Even do now and its a regular ritual to let a cricket go and they are off not knowing I have a box of them. Cheap entertainment! It go to show how simple it is to entertain the human mind. Well they are 10 weeks and we are pals but time in the beginning is the simple way to go before habits are instilled

Steve

 

[the3ofus+oursixchicks]

mine have loved

me from day one!! so awesome i love them to! rosey,daisey and petunia. buff orpingtons and barred rock.

 

[hens4thehudds]

I am a newbie to chickens but we got 10 chicks this summer and tryed to handle them as much as possible. They would all get their turn and would fall asleep in our hands. As they got older they will perch on us, but it is easy to reinforce this behavior by havving some meal worms ready once they are perched on your hand. They are now about 12 weeks old, and we still try to feed them treats by hand and pet them, they are all pretty friendly and will perch on us and come when called. I think the food helps a lot as they get older

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

3ofus - that is a precious photo!

I handled my first "batch" of four hatchery chicks constantly, yet they went through quite a skittish stage during their adolescence. Around point of lay they became completely docile and now the two that are left are quite cuddly.

My broody BO raised my newest batch of five chicks from MPC and I've fretted that they would be feral. Mama hen was so protective of them that we virtually never had a chance to hold them when they were small. But now they're three months old and starting to put it together in their little fuzzy heads that the giant humans often come bearing gifts of scratch and cheerios and mealworms. All but one of them (a Speckled Sussex) are calming down and being less terrified at being held. Especially the Silkie and the little d'Uccle

I think they'll end up being as friendly as my others.

Here's the sweet little d'Uccle:

 

[flowerchicks]

I have 9 hens that are 2 1/2 - 1 1/2 years old. One hen (barred rock) that has always been friendly, my RIR has always been curious, somewhat friendly, but can be ornery (she is a rir). The other 7 hens have softened up to me and any type of attention as time goes on. Right now, I have 3 hens that really don't want to be touched or approached (a BC marans, australorp, and EE). They have gotten better over time, and I expect they will continue to become more friendly. Right now I have 3 chicks that my broodys hatched. I have been handling them since they were hours old. They are 8 weeks old and do not like being handled at all. One is easier to catch and handle but it would rather not be (it is also the shyest of the 3). I just expect them to trust me more as time goes by. I think with age comes confidence.

 

[hudsonhousechicks]

We brought our first 5 chicks home last year and I made a point of handling them several times a day every day. They are love bugs now, sometimes to the point of being a nuisance. We brought home 3 more a few months ago and they come running when they see me too. It seems like they all really changed after they started laying. Seems like they got calmer and more docile. The rooster grew up and won't get too close anymore but I make a point of picking him up a few times a week anyhow. He's heavy now! They're great. We have bought pretty docile birds - Buff Orpingtons, Delawares and Sussex. I hear Americaunas are sweet.

 

[the3ofus+oursixchicks]

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thanks they are very precious. although one of my buffs has become a little mean for some reason. anyway that is a little cutie you have there. what is it?

 

[flowerchicks]

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I love my d'uccle

, her and my little tiny silkie are the most easily handled. But, it took 2 yrs and removing the roosters for it to happen.