Chick handling/taming?

[exbiologist]

Does handling chicks actually tame them at all? Or is it better to just leave them alone and be quiet around them as much as possible? I'd like to have calm chickens, but it seems that just the process of picking one up to grab seems to stress them out.

 

[Domestic_goddess]

Really that's how you have to do it, and hand feeding them! I just pick them up and handle them, pet them......over a time they will not be so skiddish.

 

[MrsChickendad]

My chicks seem to be less stressed if I pick them up by sliding my open hand under their bellies, rather than swooping down over the top of them like a predator. If they are calm and not struggling, I put them back down. If they are squawking and flapping, I wait until they are calm before I put them down.

I also like to use a brooder they can see out the sides of, instead of just the top. Children who will be gentle with them make great chicken tamers.