Chicks becoming dominate or just extra loving

[Gamma]

I have 9 week Buff Orpington 4 of them.this is my first go around with chickens. Everything is going along just as described. We are all having a great time.two nights ago after entering their run, 3 of them started perching on my shoulders and HEAD! They did the same to my husband last night. I have never seen this issue addressed before.are they trying to dominate me? Or are they just in need of attention??
Should this behavior be stopped , or will it naturally as they get older?? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

That is normal for tame chicks. It depends how you feel about it. I personally don't like chickens hopping up on me, or getting too personal, others love it. So knock them down to discourage it, or keep encouraging it. Remember a full grown chicken can weigh a bit more and sometimes they aren't always too clean. I don't see it as a dominance thing. If they are rooster I would definitely discourage it, but hens are okay. Watch your eyes as sometimes they will peck at them.

 

[SonoranChick]

I have 9 week Buff Orpington 4 of them.this is my first go around with chickens. Everything is going along just as described. We are all having a great time.two nights ago after entering their run, 3 of them started perching on my shoulders and HEAD! They did the same to my husband last night. I have never seen this issue addressed before.are they trying to dominate me? Or are they just in need of attention??
Should this behavior be stopped , or will it naturally as they get older?? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I think they see you as "mom" and just want to be close to you. I do not think its a dominate thing, it sounds like you did a great job raising them and they are simply being friendly. They also must feel very safe with you to trust you enough to perch upon you, even if it happens to be your head

 

[Chickassan]

It's normal and cute as mud until they get older and hop up with dookie feet or decide to give you a homemade "gift".

 

[MageofMist]

My silkie chicks swarm me when I sit down, first whining once they figure out I don't have any treats for them, and then hopping onto my lap and shoulders/back for fusses and attention. They are getting rather heavy at 3 months old but I just can't help but give them attention when they do it.

They also love snuggling into my hair as it is quite long, even if it means stretching out their necks like giraffes to do so. They are 3 months old yet they still act like little babies.

 

[LavvyTaffy]

My silkie chicks swarm me when I sit down, first whining once they figure out I don't have any treats for them, and then hopping onto my lap and shoulders/back for fusses and attention. They are getting rather heavy at 3 months old but I just can't help but give them attention when they do it.

They also love snuggling into my hair as it is quite long, even if it means stretching out their necks like giraffes to do so. They are 3 months old yet they still act like little babies.

So do my Leghorns

 

[Folly's place]

I'm not a fan of chicken poo on my shoulders or in my hair! Also, no bird gets within pecking distance of my eyes; to dangerous! If you do want your birds on your shoulders, or wherever, at least make it an 'invitation only' event, not a mob swarm, as in the Hitchcock movie. Mary

 

[TheWickedChicken]

I think they see you as "mom" and just want to be close to you. I do not think its a dominate thing, it sounds like you did a great job raising them and they are simply being friendly. They also must feel very safe with you to trust you enough to perch upon you, even if it happens to be your head

How do you raise friendly chickens? Mine aren't afraid of me and often congregate near me expecting food, but they HATE being picked up. They run when they see my hand reaching for them and scream until I let them go if I manage to catch them. Any way to get them to not freak out when I hold them? I'm going to be clipping their wings when they're older, so I need to be able to hold them for a hot minute. I was also hoping they'd be my pet chickens and not just my breakfast makers.

 

[SonoranChick]

How do you raise friendly chickens? Mine aren't afraid of me and often congregate near me expecting food, but they HATE being picked up. They run when they see my hand reaching for them and scream until I let them go if I manage to catch them. Any way to get them to not freak out when I hold them? I'm going to be clipping their wings when they're older, so I need to be able to hold them for a hot minute. I was also hoping they'd be my pet chickens and not just my breakfast makers.

How do you raise friendly chickens? Mine aren't afraid of me and often congregate near me expecting food, but they HATE being picked up. They run when they see my hand reaching for them and scream until I let them go if I manage to catch them. Any way to get them to not freak out when I hold them? I'm going to be clipping their wings when they're older, so I need to be able to hold them for a hot minute. I was also hoping they'd be my pet chickens and not just my breakfast makers.

I believe it has a lot to do with how much interaction they had with you since being hatched. Some breeds are also said to be more "flighty" than others, but each bird is individual. I had some gorgeous ameracauna hens a few years back but I got them as pullets from a breeder. They were nice enough but they were like your chickens- they loved my boots and treats, but I couldn't barely hold onto one if I could catch one and they cried in sheer terror until I let them go...I felt so bad I rarely handled them. I ended up getting ten chicks recently (various breeds) and they are still super young. It's almost too early to say but boy they sure do seem to like me more! They perch on me and most will let me handle them anytime, anyplace. They seem to seek it out. I hope they stay sweet as they grow into hens...time will tell.

 

[TheWickedChicken]

I believe it has a lot to do with how much interaction they had with you since being hatched. Some breeds are also said to be more "flighty" than others, but each bird is individual. I had some gorgeous ameracauna hens a few years back but I got them as pullets from a breeder. They were nice enough but they were like your chickens- they loved my boots and treats, but I couldn't barely hold onto one if I could catch one and they cried in sheer terror until I let them go...I felt so bad I rarely handled them. I ended up getting ten chicks recently (various breeds) and they are still super young. It's almost too early to say but boy they sure do seem to like me more! They perch on me and most will let me handle them anytime, anyplace. They seem to seek it out. I hope they stay sweet as they grow into hens...time will tell.

I have hatchery SLW which are known to be less docile than the breeder kind. I picked them up from a local feed store and I've interacted with them everyday. I can't be with them 24/7 of course, but I poke my head in for several minutes multiple times a day so they can see my face and learn to recognize me. They kind of let me pet them when they're eating from my hand in the coop and climb up my arm, but if they're running about in the run they tend to ignore me. Sometimes I can get one to hang out on my lap for maybe a minute before she flies back to the others.