My babies are 4 days old now and they are really showing their personalities. I do have some questions if someone has the time 1.) My Barred Rock (Bossy Pants) has been charging me a bit and pecking at me. I read somewhere that gently "pecking" her back can make her understand that I am in charge. Should I try that? I know Im not startling her because she sees me slowly putting my hand in the brooder. I still am picking her up and handling her because I really want my chickens to be tame. She LOVES to be held and pet immediately falls asleep in my hands. She also sits in my hand when I try and put her back in the brooder 2.) My bantam Mottled Cochin (Dorothy) kind of pecks at me too, but she seems more curious about the leftover nail polish on my thumb or my nails in general. She also really loves to be pet and held and will also hang out in my hand for a while when I try to put her back in. But, she also seems to keep pecking at the eyes of my little bantam Buff Brahma (Mrs. Puff)! Is that normal??? I cringe whenever she does it but I also noticed that Mrs. Puff is the lightest chick with the dark eyes, so maybe its the contrast and its confusing? 3.) They still seems to be really timid and run away a bit when I first try to pick them up. Bossy Pants and Dorothy are the only two that really seem to enjoy rubs at this point and calm quickly. My Buff Silkie (Ginger) and Mrs. Puff still don't seem to care for it much, will that change eventually? Will they all stop running from me or is that just what they do? 4.) I tried giving the girls some scrambled egg and also some yogurt but they won't touch it. I even sprinkled a bit of their food in it so they might eat that and noticed the yummy treat underneath. Has anyone ever experienced your chicks not wanting to try new foods? Maybe they are just too young yet but I was surprised when they didn't want it. Thanks for your help!
1) You can poke her back, gently. 2) Dorothy is asserting dominance, keep and eye on her and watch the other chicks for injuries. 3) Correcting skittish behavior now will help keep your chickens tame later. Try leaving the radio on when you're not there to get your chicks used to the sound of people. You should also make sure your chicks are used to fast motions, eventually they'll realize there's no danger. Treat them with mealworms, a great idea to have them eat out of your hands, when they are couple weeks old that is. 4) They are too young for treats right now, since they don't have grit or access to dirt outside. Good luck!
I think gently "pecking" her back is okay. Yeah they need to have their own pecking order and although there will be a top hen YOU have to be the boss. When my girls were around a month old one of my red sex links got really mean, when she'd come after me I would physically hold her down. It took weeks but she backed down and we haven't had a problem since (she's now 17wks). I wouldn't bother giving treats right now, some people do and it's not bad, but their chick starter provides a perfectly healthy diet for them. Wait a week and try again. It's completely normal for them to not like something new, almost everything I have given my flock didn't go over well the first time I tried.