How can I get my chickens to like me?

[pringle]

I have some 3 month old hens and a 4 year old room,I raised the girls myself when they were chicks but I got the roo from a guy.Whenever I try to get close to them they always run away.Is there anything I can do so they actually like me?

 

[domino7]

Just like most animals, give them treats. I give mine a little cracked corn. They come running every time I go outside.

 

[paul65]

Quote:
Yep I just sit in the yard with some treats mine come right up and sit on my lap and eat out of my hand its fun to watch.

 

[Nostalchic]

Sit in their yard with a bunch of grapes, and call "chick chick chick" and throw a few grapes down. Pretty soon they will swarm you, jump in your lap and onto your shoulder, spill your coffee, follow you around, grab those grapes out of your hand, jump for them, and will ALWAYS come running when you call "chick chick chick". They LOVE grapes. You may want to plant some grapevines!

 

[foweler]

Mealworms.

Hold them by the end and let the chickens see them wiggle. They will come up and take them eventually.
Once they have the idea put them in your open hand and let them come up and peck them out.

I can't say this will make them like you but it will get them used to being near you.

I raise mealworms so I can spoil my chickens inexpensively.

 

[stephys_fluffybutts]

Okay this is what I did. When it was time to put them to bed I would corner them and pick them up. They wouldnt appriciate it but I did it anyways. I wil hold them till they calmed down. Slowly stroking their back. I would hand feed them treats to gain trust.

As soon as they figure out you don't mean to hurt them then they calm down. It takes a while but it eventually works.

I have one bird like that. It runs away when I come near. But once I get ahold of her she loves to be handled. I think she is afraid of my shoes. lol. who knows she is just crazy haha

 

[ranchhand]

As long as you are offering food they LOVE you. But really, chickens are not like cats and dogs, who love you even when you haven't any food. they just aren't wired the same way.

Given enough treats, they will come when you call and jump on you. But for the most part, they are somewhat indifferent.

 

[RioLindoAz]

There's only one way to get to a chicken's heart...through their stomach.
Feed them scratch. (cracked corn, commonly combined with various seeds and grains) They love it! If they really hate you, throw some next to you, and they'll come. Before you know it, they'll be eating out of the palm of your hand.

 

[fargosmom]

. . . or black oil sunflower seeds. My girls are crackheads for BOSS. But I'm not sure I would hand feed them - I discovered that they associated that with me having treats in my hands, and they started pecking my hands, HARD, any time they had an opportunity . . . definitely not fun. If I show them my empty palm they get the idea, but the moment my hand is curled away from them it's have-at-it time again - so I've started only giving them treats that I toss on the ground.
But . . . food is a great way to get them to love you, and you'll find that as they near the age for laying they'll get more receptive to being held. When they start to squat for you they're easier to pick up and for some reason my girls started at that age to actually enjoy being held, where they didn't before. Give it some time.

 

[breezy]

Open a can of corn drain it and offer it to them. My chickens got super friendly once they figured out I had canned corn in my hand lol