Chick Handling

[owedixo]

Try to let them know you. It might seem crazy but try to get them used to your voice and smell. And like they said try to get the braver ones to eat from your hand. And don't try to pick them up from above it can be intimidating to them. Try to pick them up from ground level underneath them. Hope that helps!!

 

[sebloc]

Well, all of mine seem skittish. A couple of them walk by my hand but don't really care to see what it is. The rest are in pure panic.

 

[Polimom]

sebloc -- like you, we are brand new to chickens /chick raising. We, too, had a top-access brooder. And like you, we also had terrified Littles. I was starting to worry about what would happen later when I needed to handle them for health reasons, or just to relocate them.

Then I read azygous' evolution (azygous posted earlier on this thread). Made sense to me, so a couple of weeks ago (they were abt 3 1/2 weeks old) I moved them to a much larger space (sectioned off part of my sunroom) so I could actually enter their area with a little stool sometimes and just sit with them.

This change (thank you azygous!!!!) was SOOoooo worthwhile. It is definitely all about the prey instinct.

The change in their behavior was instantaneous. Panic died off almost immediately. They now gather near the "gate" when I enter the room. They ALL gather around when I sit on my stool. I sit near a low roost, and some of them will fly up there and then walk onto my hand. They tell me when their food is low. They LOVE the plastic covers I protect my shoes with. Just... night and day.

No, not all of them want to be handled / picked up. I have at least one who is still incredibly skittish and won't let me even touch her. But that's okay; they are, after all, chickens.

 

[RonC]

When I take mine out for their "field trips" I have a heck of a time getting them back in the box to transfer them back to the brooder. Even the Wyandottes that comes to me when in the brooder protests. That grass is just what they want to peck and scratch around in. Now if I can train them to get in the box when I want to move them.

 

[azygous]

Ron, have you tried meal worms? Before I ever let my chicks loose, I train them to come running to me the second I whip out the little white carton. They also learn to associate treats with a verbal cue, and it only takes a couple days and they will come running when they hear the cue.

 

[RonC]

Haven't tried mealworms on these. My first chicks I might as well have had a rattlesnake as mealworms. Maybe these will respond better than the last ones, maybe live ones if I can find them. Good idea.

 

[npilston]

Wow.

Anyone who hasn't read azygous' "raise 'em outdoors" article - should bloody-well do it. I wish I'd seen this a month ago. This is our first batch (6), and I don't have a coop/run ready yet, but this sure looks like the way to go. Closer to the natural order of things.

Well-written piece - great job, esteemed Flock Master.

 

[Adalida]

Npilston, I totally agree with you. This year is my second batch of chicks, and they went outside much, much earlier than I wanted. It wasn't by choice on my part- I wanted to keep them inside where I could see them all day. But we were going out of town and I knew they'd be safer in the well secured outside coop. I fretted and worried about them but they absolutely thrived and were happy as could be.

 

[RonC]

Mine were about week old when I got them. Put them in my old brooder and then decided the weather was warm enough to try outside. Took a few days to convert an old work bench to a new brooder and moved them to the back porch at two weeks old. We all loved it! Quiet in the house at night and no red glow from the other end of the house. I do realize I live in a warmer climate so it may not be possible for every one. Tried the chicken cave but I guess they were already used to the light as they couldn't figure it out.

 

[Henriettasmum]

I initially found that chicks raised by their mums tended to be skittish, so now from day 1, we regularly lift them up, give them a pat - and after a bit of yelling for mum to save them from this giant monster, they settle down. I currently have a young bantam australorpe/silkie cross who has turned out to be the most brilliant mum, training them well and following me around the pen allowing me to play with her brood of five but as they get older they will become a little shyer as I don't have time to play with them all, all the time. The chicks that are raised in a brooder are different. The small brooder is a simple plastic tub with a reptile light for warmth and it lives in our loungeroom when necessary. My husband and I, and any visitors, regularly lift them out of the brooder for a play. We sit on the lounge inside the house, lay back and let them wander all over us. Our toy poodle comes for a look and a sniff, and is used to these babies being part of our family, too. We will also take them one at a time into bed with us where they wander back and forth between us, trying to avoid the poodle when he gets too boisterous. Once they have decided to leave a "gift" they go back to the brooder and another is brought in. In this way, it's not long before they run for our hands when we reach for them. As they grow older, they still remain friendly. I have one that likes to ride around on the top of my hat as I work in the main chicken enclosure. Others hop onto my shoulder whenever I sit down in their pen and they all love their pats, talking to me all the while. They don't speak English but that's okay as I talk chicken! So, my short answer is pick them up and play with them regularly and they will become used to you.