Bad ol' Chickens!!!

[wildorchid053]

i have 4 RIR roos and 4 redsexlink hens.. the hens are extremely friendly and will fly up to your shoulder to be touched. two of the roos love to be tummy rubbed. i rub them between their legs and they will stand there sucking it up.. one of the others is roadrunner and he is small and slim and runs FAST you can't touch or catch him.. the other is maddy he can be touched but only on his terms. this morning when i let them out into the run i picked up and was petting a hen and one of my roos flew onto my arm for the first time. to bad he was so heavy lol. i petted him then he flew down. that was a first. thought i was going to get pecked but he was gentle. nice surprise

 

[Joyryder]

My first trial pair were Australorps, they were extremely shy, would never eat out of my hand, would never come near me. UNTIL My 13 Buff Orps, 6 weeks younger were added to the run. They are the BEST, they always greet me. I have to be careful not to step on them because they're always underfoot. After a month or 2 of co-habitation the Australorps are much less shy and both of them will eat out of my hand. 1 of them is one of the first to come to me for treats now. I guess that's "conditioning". Now my EE's must be the flightiest of all. They will eat from my hands, but its a process. I have a couple of brave ones who come to me first, then the others slowly follow suit. But any quick movement (ie throwing seeds on the ground) and they're back in coop hiding their heads (Ostrich-like). They're 18 wks, maybe they will relax more as they get older?

 

[DianeB]

I have 3. 1 red star, 1 gold star and 1 (pretty sure is a) NH red. They all are very friendly to me and other humans and sometimes my dog. They attack everything else. My NHR especially hates cats. She chases and bites them. Also, they go after all wild birds. I found some dove feathers on the ground the other day. Pretty sure that one of my girls pulled them out of the bird's tail.

They are the best 'guarddogs' ever. They are very sweet to people but no one else comes into our backyard. Even my dog does not have that track record.

DB

 

[twister]

great topic... it is interesting to read what other people are experiencing w. their birds, specifically along the breed lines, I see trends.

I have a silver laced wyndotte and she is mean and skittery. I haven't ever been able to handle her. Now she is the only one out of the flock that is giving my lil' pullets misery. She is a great egg layer tho...
Brown leghorn hen, skitterbug!
RIR/NHR/or production red hens and pullets... extremely friendly and lovable. They love attention and treats and are my lapbirds. Love'em so much, I got more! NICEST eggs too!
Buff Orpingtons--- somewhere in the middle...want attention only when food is around. They will let me catch and cuddle, but i do not think they like it as much as my reds.

 

[loralei]

It is interesting! I wish I had posted before odering baby chicks! I have Buff Orps, Welsummers and NH Reds on the way! I hope my new babies will like me and convince my other gals that I am ok!

No one here has mentioned Polish. Anyone have any experience with them? They are the most stand-offish of all! I feel sorry for them cuz' they never get tasty treats. I make extra effort to approach them and encourage them to take treats but the squawk loudly and run away! Apparently they know I'm German! lol

 

[cnj-tx50]

I have a mixed flock, but one RR is the first to greet me no matter what and she follows me around until I pick her up and carry her. If I'm in a hurry to get chores done she will stand at the gate waiting until I come back!!!

 

[loralei]

That is soooo cute, cnj-tx50!

 

[GoldenSilverLaced]

My SLW is a bit more skittish than my golden buff, but she still will tolerate petting and eats out of my hand and jumps up of her own free will to sit on my arm or shoulder. I carry her around like that. At night if they are loose she jumps up to me when it is time to be put in the coop so that I can deliver her to the top of the ramp. My GB is friendly and also tolerates petting and being picked up. Both run to me regardless if I have food or not, and will follow me around and get upset if they are loose and can't see me.I handled them a lot when they were younger, used to sleep in my arms.

I wish they were a little more cuddly, but given some of the stories on here, I am lucky they are both tame, calm, and friendly.

 

[gsim]

I have 4 breeds, all pullets. Buff Comet, RIR, Black Aussies, and Barred rock. By far, my barred rocks are the friendliest. One will jump up on my arm if I stretch it out. Not as much as when she was a chick tho. One Barred rock runt is most affectionate of all. Used to have one RIR and one Black Aussie that were friendly, but not now. They are 16 weeks and one is laying, possible a RIR.