Chick “snuggles”

[Foster_Mother_Hen]

Several of my 4 week old chicks love to hunker down in my hand for pets and snuggles…and most like to roost on my shoulder! Most of them respond to their names, too One of them, I call her Sprite (also assuming female based on early wing feathers development but I’m 100% ok with being wrong…just going to go with it for now ) barely pecks at me while snuggling but rubs her head against me. It’s almost like she’s trying to wipe something off of her beak/head. She did it against my neck the other day and then against my face this morning. Not going to lie, it’s adorable and it tickles - but none of the others exhibit this behavior.

Does anyone have ideas? Is she purely trying to wipe something off? Is it maybe an affectionate behavior? Does she think she needs to do something for me that I can’t do myself, like a cat when it brings a mouse? Or…entirely possible…am I reading into it too much when I should just enjoy the chick snuggles while they’re all still little?

This is Clover, the gentle giant. Pretty confident he’s a rooster but he’s so calm and snuggly with me!! All I have to do is raise my hand and say “shoulder” and he’ll fly up and hunker down

 

[nuthatched]

It's cute but not recommended to encourage chickens to sit on your shoulders, if they decide they want up and you're not ready, your eyes are too close to your shoulders to afford a miss.
Especially the cockerel, they generally don't do well with pet treatment.

 

[Battlepants]

It's cute but not recommended to encourage chickens to sit on your shoulders, if they decide they want up and you're not ready, your eyes are too close to your shoulders to afford a miss.
Especially the cockerel, they generally don't do well with pet treatment.

Can confirm with the eyes. Had a close call here a couple weeks back. One of the pullets on my shoulder fortunately hit me in a closed eye, but it still hurt. Not doing that again. If you insist on having them on your shoulder, please wear safety glasses.

As for the wiping off of the beak, I believe it is just that. I see mine doing that all the time - in the dirt, on my pants leg, on my shoe. Just kinda a thing they do to... clear their noses, I guess?

And yea, I have to strongly agree with avoiding the pet treatment with roosters. In order to have a safe rooster in your flock, you need to think of him as livestock first and a pet second. ANY sign of dominance over you must be returned in kind:

*Pecks you - peck him back (poke him in the head/neck with your finger)
*Blocks you - walk right through him (try to not step on him, of course, but make no attempt to walk around him. The chicken gets out of the way, not the human).
*Wingdances (kinda like a shimmy toward you) - this is another just walk right through him.
*Attacks you - I've heard some success with grabbing him and parading him around in front of his hens. Wear heavy clothing and safety glasses.
*Attacks a younger family member or badly hurts you - dinner

I'm sorry to bring this darkness to this thread, but I truly want success for you and your flock. Things can, and often do, go very badly with roosters. I'd rather arm you with this knowledge now than us having another "mean rooster rehab" thread followed by the heartbreak thread that often follows.

 

[Foster_Mother_Hen]

Thanks for the kind warnings I’ve taken to wearing long sleeves when I handle any of them and keeping a close eye on where they are at any given time. I’m mainly handing them now to get them used to a person since they’ll have eggs taken from the hens and have a few people around. The second there’s any aggression the affection stops.

They’re moving from my basement to the back yard this week, then will be going to their forever farm the first weekend in August. All of the chickens in the flock are fairly docile, and the roosters are definitely handled as described above... The farmer friend doesn’t take any guff from any of his animals. He’s actually told me to not get attached, and I’ve made peace with the fact that some may become dinner…I just don’t want to know if I’m eating one of them!! The chicks will be in with other chickens, goats and ducks, none of whom take kindly to any mean behaviors.

 

[Blue Raptor]

Several of my 4 week old chicks love to hunker down in my hand for pets and snuggles…and most like to roost on my shoulder! Most of them respond to their names, too One of them, I call her Sprite (also assuming female based on early wing feathers development but I’m 100% ok with being wrong…just going to go with it for now ) barely pecks at me while snuggling but rubs her head against me. It’s almost like she’s trying to wipe something off of her beak/head. She did it against my neck the other day and then against my face this morning. Not going to lie, it’s adorable and it tickles - but none of the others exhibit this behavior.

Does anyone have ideas? Is she purely trying to wipe something off? Is it maybe an affectionate behavior? Does she think she needs to do something for me that I can’t do myself, like a cat when it brings a mouse? Or…entirely possible…am I reading into it too much when I should just enjoy the chick snuggles while they’re all still little?

View attachment 3181539


This is Clover, the gentle giant. Pretty confident he’s a rooster but he’s so calm and snuggly with me!! All I have to do is raise my hand and say “shoulder” and he’ll fly up and hunker down
View attachment 3181544

Her wiping her beak is normal. They do it on the ground or hard surfaces to either clean or buff their beak.

 

[Foster_Mother_Hen]

Her wiping her beak is normal. They do it on the ground or hard surfaces to either clean or buff their beak.

Thanks!!