NewFlockOnTheBlock
Songster
Our first batch of chicks we got from a mail order hatchery and hand-raised them since they arrived in the mail at 3 days old. Now one of these chicks is a first-time mama who successfully hatched all 5 of the eggs we let her sit on. The little family is now in their "nursery," which is a big stock tank sitting in the middle of our living room.
Chanterelle, the mama, is being really protective of the chicks, and they are really attached to her. She is not happy when we pick one up, and they start peeping loudly as soon as they are separated and won't stop until we put them back. So we're only handling each of them maybe twice a day for a minute at a time, so as not to stress anyone out.
We do want the chicks to become fairly tame though. They are going to our friends' house when they get older, and while they will not be pets per se, our friends' flock is small (currently about 5 chickens) and they take good care of their chickens so I would guess that they wouldn't want them to be totally wild. What's the best way to get these babies used to human contact? Should we wait until they are a little older, more curious about their surroundings, and less attached to mama? Or should we continue picking them up and handling them just a little bit more each day?
This was easier with our first batch because there was no mama. They did sound the "alarm peep" when picked up but I think they instinctively longed for something large and warm to hold them and talk to them so they accepted us as surrogates. The new little guys are fortunate to have their mama (who is doing an excellent job, by the way) so they are not as eager to hang out with us
(Apologies for the poor quality photos)
Chanterelle, the mama, is being really protective of the chicks, and they are really attached to her. She is not happy when we pick one up, and they start peeping loudly as soon as they are separated and won't stop until we put them back. So we're only handling each of them maybe twice a day for a minute at a time, so as not to stress anyone out.
We do want the chicks to become fairly tame though. They are going to our friends' house when they get older, and while they will not be pets per se, our friends' flock is small (currently about 5 chickens) and they take good care of their chickens so I would guess that they wouldn't want them to be totally wild. What's the best way to get these babies used to human contact? Should we wait until they are a little older, more curious about their surroundings, and less attached to mama? Or should we continue picking them up and handling them just a little bit more each day?
This was easier with our first batch because there was no mama. They did sound the "alarm peep" when picked up but I think they instinctively longed for something large and warm to hold them and talk to them so they accepted us as surrogates. The new little guys are fortunate to have their mama (who is doing an excellent job, by the way) so they are not as eager to hang out with us
(Apologies for the poor quality photos)
