How can I bond with my chickens?

[Chickens and kittens]

I have seven hens and two roosters and I would really like them to trust me. So far some of them come closer to me when I feed them but when I walk by them they freak out and run away. I don't chase them or anything they are just a bit chicken. Even when I sit down they keep their distance. So like I said I would really like them to come to me and not see me as a threat.

 

[Poultrybreeder]

What you could do is hand feed the others, and when these see them eating out of your palm, they might try it too. And by others, I mean the tamer ones.

 

[Chickens and kittens]

Awesome! Also what type of rooster is on your profile picture Poultrybreeder I have one just like it but I don't know what he's called.

 

[Poultrybreeder]

Mine is a Miniature Game

 

[Kiki]

Time and treats...
Spend lots of time hand feeding them treats.

 

[Chickens and kittens]

Awesome! Thank y'all so much!

 

[GilligansGirls]

My wife played mother hen and went around picking bugs off of plants (no small feat since she never, before, was a bug person). She would feed them to the girls through the wire. Now when we walk by, or go in the run to clean they come running to see what we brought them! They are still not "lap chickens" we might get to slyly pet them, but they don't run away. We did it primarily so that when we find that special treat we can use it to get them back into the run when we need to, when we start to free range them.

 

[Chickens and kittens]

That's exactly what I want! They don't have to let me hold them I just want them to trust me.

 

[keesmom]

How old are they? Mine calm down as they start to lay.

You will have to closely watch the 2 males. They may be too much for only 7 pullets.

 

[MAchicken105]

I pick my gals up every morning and every evening. I don't put them back down until they've relaxed. I've got only 8 total and I've been doing this since they were a week old, now 13 weeks old. They are mostly Ameraucanas which aren't known to be friendly. They now jump in my lap to have a nice pat.

I also spend as much time as I can just sitting in my beach chair in their run, I read a good book and they love having me visit. I don't hand feed treats because I don't want them to become pushy or pecky, mostly because I do that with my horses and figure I'd do the same with my chicks.

You might try to pick them up before they leave the coop in the morning and after they've put themselves to bed. They are much calmer at dawn and dusk.

Lots of time, patience and repetition.