How can I take or encourage my chickens to be friendly?

Try taming your chickens by offering them many snacks. Another easy method is just to sit in the coop or where they are kept, and stay very still. You can bring and book and do that. Soon the chickens should not see you as any threat and start climbing all over you with curiosity. If that doesn't happen, treats should work! Mealworms are their favorite snack, but vegetables, nuts, and fruits are totally fine!

 

Mine won't touch mealworms, (maybe because they are still teenagers lol) but LOVE string cheese (don't do this too often) but I peel the strings off and they clamor to get them. You will have them in your lap in no time flat.

 

That's how most chickens are. You're lucky if they will eat from your hand.

 

My OE game hens are soooo skittish. I have had them for 4 mo the now and feed treats and scraps ALL the time and they still run like I'm a fox. Which makes it hard to do anything else to take care of them.

 

My silkies were not hand tame, but warmed up to me when I hand fed silken tofu as a treat. They go gaga for it. I also sometimes touch them or pick them up when they are on the roost in the evening. They have gradually gotten pretty tame.

 

Most if not all of my chickens will eat from my hand without hesitation (about 50 currently) I can even get my peafowl and guinea fowl to eat from my hand although they are very reluctant to... A lot of their 'friendliness' in instilled at an early age if you handle them a lot from day one they will generally be very social... My kids do all that for me, they love playing with the chicks and handle them every day, and it pays off when they mature...