Broody Hatched feral chix

[andreanar]

So, I hate raising babies in the house. I decided for the first time to let a broody hatch some eggs. Everything went perfect. Babies were accepted into the flock from day 1. But...those babies are not friendly at all. They actually act feral. I don't keep a lot of chickens, so they are treated as pets. My brooder raised babies were always friendly, easy to pick up, come when called.

How do you tame your broody raised chicks? My "chicks" are now 4 mths old.

 

[AlleysChicks]

Time and treats. Mine learned from their mom. They still aren’t super friendly like my brooder babies but they aren’t too bad.

 

[MooseMtnFthills]

After we stopped hand-raising chicks, mostly because of all the disruption it causes in the house (dogs, cats, furniture ...that red light ) we noticed the same thing. Chicks that are far less friendly.

Now we make sure that the chicks see us feeding them, even by hand at times. But we didn't always do this. As we improved our tactics the chicks have become friendlier and more compliant. There's still that earlier generation of chicks that saw little human involvement - those ones will follow the flock, sure, but will always shy away from us. The best we can expect from them is that they do what all the other chickens (younger and older) do.

 

[aart]

They're not really 'feral' .....just not human raised.
Tho you could have interacted with the broody daily while she was setting,
then spent a lot of time with chicks from the get go.
..and now, still just spend a lot of time with them hand feeding and such.
Not sure what you mean by 'tame'.....do you want them to sit on your lap or just not run away?

 

[TheLittleFarm18]

I took 5 hens (18months) in a week ago. They must of not been handled at all! They literally run and hide from me. I just make sure I walk and move slowly and talk to them before they can see me. I'm pretty confident with time they will learn I'm not a threat and I'm the hand that feeds and water them. They may never come and sit with me but I'm ok with that, I'll respect their space and won't try and force anything

 

[ChickNanny13]

Difference between brooder vs broody chicks but all's not lost, follow the advice given above. I never thought pullets could be tamed but I was proven wrong....Someone gave me 5 Blue Wyandottes that were about 7months, not laying. They were kept confined in the Chicken House (8x12x7), I'd enter slowly & toss mealworms, move slowly cleaning every day. Eventually I offered mealworms from my hand, that took time but they'd warmed up. Eventually they came running when I approached the CH, I had to catch them but could handle them enough to check them over. When they started laying (10mon) I returned them to the friend that wanted to breed them.

So time & patience will work.

 

[Folly's place]

Everyone has good advice above; just spend time hanging around, and bring goodies sometimes. Few chickens actually like being held, but many do enjoy being underfoot and are interactive, just not 'lap birds'.
Mary

 

[andreanar]

They're not really 'feral' .....just not human raised.
Tho you could have interacted with the broody daily while she was setting,
then spent a lot of time with chicks from the get go.
..and now, still just spend a lot of time with them hand feeding and such.
Not sure what you mean by 'tame'.....do you want them to sit on your lap or just not run away?

I'd like them to not run from me! I'd like to be able to pick them up when and if I need to for meds or a check over. These 3 chicks won't even peck at treats I throw down if Im standing there. One's a little cockerel and I cornered him and picked him up to lice dust him,(a hen got dumped into my yard, and she had lice) and he bit me so hard it drew blood. Ive never been bitten that hard by a chicken before. I spend time with them every day, cleaning the poop board, collecting my 1 or 2 eggs (molting), I sit with them and drink my coffee and pat a few that come up for butt pats. I touched the chicks from day 1, but as soon as mama starting taking them out free ranging, that was it. They act like Im gonna kill them.

 

[aart]

I'd like to be able to pick them up when and if I need to for meds or a check over.

I usually do that stuff off the roost at night they are much easier to 'catch'.
None of my birds will let me pick them up off the ground...and I don't chase chickens.....well have had a few that would allow it, even 'ask' for it, but usually only for a short time.

Had one get away from me outside the run the other day, was crated for sale pics and missed the run door. Luckily she went into the garden adjacent to run walls and I was able to corner her, she didn't fight too hard when I grabbed her.

 

[TheLittleFarm18]

I usually do that stuff off the roost at night they are much easier to 'catch'.
None of my birds will let me pick them up off the ground...and I don't chase chickens.....well have had a few that would allow it, even 'ask' for it, but usually only for a short time.

Had one get away from me outside the run the other day, was crated for sale pics and missed the run door. Luckily she went into the garden adjacent to run walls and I was able to corner her, she didn't fight too hard when I grabbed her.

Lol I don't run either...like my kids learned at a young age, I'll just wait for you to run by me and I'll trip you ..I do not run