Bonding with chicks

[Jameslutte]

Please help.
My chicks are okay with sitting and eating from my hand, but they will not be held, they won’t. And they’re deathly afraid. What should I do?

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Chickens are prey animals. Things that pick them up usually do it to eat them. Here is an article with some useful chicken psychology:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...cks-outdoors.71995/?page=5#ams-comment-510264

My advice is don’t rush is, don’t force it. I never snuggle my chicks but when they reach point of lay they are perfectly fine to be picked up and will come hop on my lap when they can whether I like it or not.

 

[TwoCrows]

You want to build trust with them and the baby chick stage is a good time to start. At day 1, I get my chicks out of the brooder and into the floor with me. I sit on the ground or if inside the house I lay down an old bed sheet. The chicks are naturally nervous so they gravitate to my lap, and I do this daily for about 10 mins a day the first 5 weeks of life. This develops deep trust that I am protection.

Most Chickens naturally don't like to be picked up having their feet leave the ground, and most don't like a lot of touching either. However you should desensitize your birds to being handled and carried around for safety reasons, medical reasons and transport. You want them to be at least comfortable with it all so it's not a stressful event. So every day pick your chicks up, come in from the sides with both hands as coming in from the top you appear to them as a predator. Carry them around a bit, touch the toes, feet, go sit with one outside the brooder.

As they grow, they will go through the teenager stage where they hate being touched or picked up at all. But hang tough and do your best to handle them as often as possible. However if you've been sitting with them on the floor, by 6 weeks of age, you will have a bunch of lap sitters.

By the time they are mature, you should have a flock of calm chickens that trust you, allow you to reach down and pick them up, should they need medical attention they will be calm enough to let you do what is needed. And most of all, they will truly look forward to seeing you, the one they love and trust most of all.

Best wishes with your babies!