How do I get my babies to be friendly?

[Ckn woman]

I have 6 and 9 week old babies. Most are Buff rocks, Buff O's , 3 RIR, 3 Barred rocks. I want my chicks to come up to me when I walk out to the pen, is that asking too much? This might seem like a stupid question but what if I always brought them treats? Kinda like tie a bone around your neck to get the dog to play with you, well thats me I guess. lol!!

 

[willowcol]

I just keep holding them everyday. After a while they just get use to it. Now most of them come up to me for a cuddle.

 

[LovinMyPeeps]

This is going to sound geeky, but i have a song i sing when i enter the coop, they know it's me coming and respond by running to me. Talk to them and spend time with them and yes treats seem to work great. Worms are a great favorite of mine, but just remember that with treats come grit to make sure they can digest them. Gently pick them up talk to them, show them you're not going to hurt them. You'll win them over!

 

[Malou-La-Croix]

My girls were skittish when I would go to gather them up after a day free ranging in the yard--I hated having to 'chase' them because they seemed so traumatized. Now all I have to do is hold a piece of corn on the cob and once they see it, they come running to peck at it and I just scoop them right up. No more chasing around the yard!

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Did you just get them at 6 and 9 wks old or have you had them since they were a few days old?

I only have experience with chicks a few days old. I would spend about 30 minutes in the morning before work changing water, refreshing feed and just talking to them in the beginning. And about an hour to an hour and a half at night, talking to them and gently picking them up after my hand had been slowly moving around in the brooder.

When they were 3 wks old, I started grit and meal worms and man did they LOVE me then. They would fly out of the stock tank brooder to come see what I brought them. Flying up on my lap, arms, back if I was bent over the brooder.

I never snatched them up, but would move slow and talk quietly and calmly and pick them up gently from the front by putting my fingers between their legs. They would just relax and let their legs hang.

When I moved them out to the coop at 6 wks, I would spend the same amount of time out sitting on a stool just talking to them and gently picking those up that didn't fly up on my lap or arms.

Now at 13 wks old, I can let them out of the run for fresh grass and if they stray too far, I'm able to walk up to them to pick them up.

This has worked for all but one of the ten who has been the henny penny the sky is falling EE chick who turns out to be a roo. The other EE is also a roo but he is very friendly. The only time I can pet or pick up the wild one is at night when they are all on the roost.

Good luck with yours.

 

[Ckn woman]

I have raised them since they were 1 day old.They have been out in the hen house since they were 3 weeks old with a heat lamp and such. I go out every morning and let them out into there pen and they are itching to get out. They peck and stuff all day and then I go out again in the late afternoon and sit for a while talking and such. They will all go back in to their house at dark and I go a secure the door about 8 o clock every night. they are already up in the hen boxes and snuggled together. It is quite a scene, because I have 20 chickens trying to fit in to 2 hen boxes. They have a roost and also 3 more boxes, but want to be together. I still have a heat lamp on because some of my younger ones don't have all their feathers yet. I don't feed alot of treats but I did give them some dry bread last night and they loved it!!!!

 

[racuda]

I have 4 Serama chicks that are 6 days old.

If I put some chick starter in my hand, 2 of them hop up onto my hand and eat. The other 2 won't.

 

[Fowl Visions]

My baby chickens know my voice. Every morning when I go to feed I talk and hold them. You will always have some more standoffish than others. Certain breeds are more friendly than others too. I find the Lt. Brahma and Buff Orpingtons very friendly.

 

[Ckn woman]

I went out just a bit ago and fed them some strawberry yogart and some raisin bran. WOW!!!!! Loved it all! It was a sight to see when they found a raisin and fled! They had so much fun and even got two of them to let me hold them.

I'll win them over for sure now!

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Aww you know.. my babies hated me until they went out to the coop at 10-ish weeks (our coop wasn't finished yet), after that because they didn't always see me, it was like a huge treat to see me with the food and that. Now they adore me, and go nuts when I go in. ACTUALLY when they see the truck coming up the driveway by their coop/run they allllll come outside to greet me.

I think time, time is what it is, handle them, bring treats and food, and in time they'll love you.

NOW my ducks on the other hand, are scared out of their minds of me LOL