Handling the Chicks

[Vian]

I think baby chicks are programmed to hide from anything that comes at them from above because it could be a hawk or crow trying to eat them. Mine freak out and scatter when I lift the lid of the coop and reach in, but if I just hold my hand down on their level and keep kind of still, they calm down and come over to check out my hand, peck at it, and even climb on it after a while. Then I pick them up and hold them, pet them, etc. I make a sound that I copied from my adult hens I had before this batch of chicks, it's kind a cooing sound and when I make it, they all stop cheeping and look at me, it's pretty cute.

 

[Dionna77]

Thanks for all the wonderful advice