Holding chicks?

[tiawieclaw]

Hello! My chicks are not yet “teens”, they are about 2 weeks old so they have slight feathers and right now I’m working on getting them to like/trust me.
I see videos of chicks falling asleep or seeming comfortable in people’s hands but my chicks scream and escape if it’s more than 5 seconds.
I read here that feathers are uncomfortable when you hold them should i avoid the method of very gentle pressure on their back like a mother hen to calm them? Do i let the feet dangle or have them on the hand inside?
I have 5 yr old chickens, some let me approach them and pick them up others won’t let me get close, I know that some chickens are just not going to be super friendly but for their health in the future I would like to try to get these chicks as comfortable as possible. I don’t remember how I got the other chickens to be friendly…
Is the chicks eating food from my hand and jumping on me going to be good enough for friendly chicks or should i continue to work on holding them as well?
Also, if there’s a proper way to hold them that would allow them to relax/settle please let me know I also read certain chest areas with any pressure cause discomfort because of their internal systems.. i don't know.
I appreciate any help!!

 

[DobieLover]

some chickens are just not going to be super friendly

It really doesn't have as much to do with friendliness as it does with survival instinct. Birds are prey animals. Humans are predators. It takes a lot of trust to get past their instinct to stay away from you. That takes slow movement on your part and letting the birds come to you when they are comfortable doing so and not forcing the issue.

jumping on me going to be good enough for friendly chicks or should i continue to work on holding them as well?

I've always found the best way to get the younger chickens accustomed to you is to always move slowly and talk softly to them. If you make sudden movements it scares them and makes them think that you're trying to kill them. Literally!

If you have an old chair or if you don't mind sitting in the run or on the coop floor (if it's large enough for you to do so), just sitting there reading a book, minding your own business is a great way to interact with them. Eventually they will get curious about you and will start climbing on you, if nothing more that to enjoy your warmth. If they do that let them settle in. You can slowly move your hand to offer them food and see if they'll take the it from you. Just keep doing that and eventually they will get acclimated to you and not see you as a threat. That's really the only level they need to be at in order for you to handle them when treatment time comes. All treatments should be done after dark while wearing a headlamp to keep both hands free. That prevents the need to chase them around causing them further stress. You just walk up to them and pull them off the roost.