Flighty Birds- Won't interact with me

[6LittleHens]

I have 6 hens and four of them love me, they play with me, want to be held, and eat out of my hands. But I have two that run when I'm near, don't want to interact with me like the other hens, won't eat treats from me and don't want me to touch them. They are Gertrude ( black manorca), and Kaycee ( Kraienkoppe) they are adult birds and aren't like any of my other hens. Please give replies, I just want them to like me like the other hens!! Thanks

 

[Michael OShay]

What are the breeds of the four hens that love you? Black Minorcas and Kraienkoppes are Mediterranean class breeds, which are high strung and flighty, and will likely never be as friendly, calm, and docile as American, English, or Asiatic class breeds. I had some White Leghorns (another Mediterranean class breed) for awhile, and they never really warmed up to me. While my children were making lap pets out of our Australorps, Orpingtons, Cochins, Silkies, and Sussex, our White leghorns screamed bloody murder whenever any of us handled them. It's why I no longer raise any Mediterranean breeds. You can probably tame them down somewhat with treats and lots of patience, but don't expect them to ever become lap pets. Good luck with your Black Minorca and Kraienkoppe.

 

[6LittleHens]

Sorry, offline for a few days!! My other hens are two gold sex links, and ISA brown, and a red star.

 

[Michael OShay]

Sorry, offline for a few days!! My other hens are two gold sex links, and ISA brown, and a red star.

You've got great layers. Gold Sex Link, Isa Brown, and Red Star are three of many labels under which various hatcheries market their Red Sex Links. Red Sex Links are produced by crossing red gene roosters with silver gene hens, and the resulting offspring can be sexed by color at hatching (male chicks are whitish, females are reddish), and they are better layers than either parent breed. It's one of the interesting quirks of hybridization. Idea Poultry and some other hatcheries market its RIR x RIW as Gold Sex Links, and Murray McMurray and some other hatcheries market their RIR x Delaware as Red Star. Isa Browns are RIR x RIW (with a little WL blood infused into their history). Other labels under which hatcheries market Red Sex Links are Brown Sex Link, Cinnamon Queen, Bovans Brown, Golden Buff, Golden Comet, Hubbard Golden Comet, Shaver Brown, Babcock Brown, Warrens, Hylines, Gold Lines, Lohmans, Lohmans Brown, and Bovans Goldline, but no matter what labels Red Sex Links are marketed under they are all egg laying machines, and they should be less high strung and flighty than your Black Minorcas and Kraienkoppes.