How did you win over your chick/en's love?

[Laurajean]

They think you're Satan, huh? Maybe you should stop telling them your name is BBQ! No wonder they're nervous around you, lol!

Just kidding! I am wondering the same thing, but from what I understand contact contact contact is the key. Touch them as much as you can, hold them, carry them around, etc. I've been doing that with my new chicks the last few days, and it does seem to be chilling them out a lot.

Good luck.

 

[obxWaMi]

Mealworms worked for us, too.
We got all 5 of our girls from a friend who couldn't tell us which spring hatch they came from. They could be anywhere from 1 to 3 years old.
They all come running like crazed lunatics when we tap the bottom of the plastic cup we always use to bring them their mealworms. Like Pavlov's Dogs!
We can only pick-up and/or touch two of them, but none of them fear us. We sit in the yard when the weather is nice and they walk all around us, even going under our lawn chairs to scratch and peck. The friend who gave them to us doesn't treat her chickens (over 100 of them) like pets. She has "farm chickens". These 5 moved up to the penthouse when they came home with us and I think they know it!

 

[NewHen]

3 of my chicks were one day old from mpc and I swear, the australorp, from day one just has had a difficult temperament. She's just so skittish that my five year old can't pet her. It was hard for me to pet her even when she was such a young chick. She'd struggle, fly off or make distressed chirps. The others were and now are fine. She'll eventually come for mealworms but snatch and run. I thought she was going to end up being a roo, but is just a bossy, aggressive, flightly pullet. My buff orpington is REALLY tame and sits down for petting when my daughter approaches. She was sickly as a chick but I don't know if that has anything to do with it.

 

[PatShea]

I know how you feel , when I go out to feed them they all run and hide from me

, they used to be in our kitchen and when I'd have my morning coffee I'd talk to them so they would know my voice, I'd sit and watch TV holding them , I even use to and still do sing to them, maybe that's why they hate me, they think I'm going to sing to them again, so they run and hide now I get it,

 

[andrew6d9]

I petted them and gave them grass from a young age. It just takes time to win their trust. In the end it is worth the time spent

 

[vanilla.exe]

My chicks are around 6 weeks old. I've had them for almost a month and they don't like being picked up, but once I'm holding them they settle. I hold each one separately for a few minutes every day and just pet/talk to them. When we are outside, they know I mean safety and they stick close/cuddle me. They won't take new foods from my hand, but once they know that something is food they will.