How long for chickens to know me and allow me to pick them up and hold

[elmo]

I second all the comments here about treats and giving your birds time to learn what to expect from you.

Now all we have to do is sit on a chair in our yard and we get a lapful of chickens, necks craning to see what goodies we might have for them. I do my chicken call (chick chick CHICK - ens!) and they all come running.

Of course, it took a few months and a lot of mealworms, corn kernels, sunflower seeds, etc....

 

[PandoraTaylor]

I was given two older hens (over 1 year) when a dog broke in and killed the other 3 that the previous owner had.
one was extremely skittish and ran whenever anything moved but the chickens, with treats and gentle pickups she now runs to me and allows being petted and pickedup!
I can scratch her anywhere and she just sits there.
It is a time and persistance that will eventually win them over.

I handle my chickens several times a day when young, so they get used to me, the older ones had no handling to my knowledge, so took longer to get used to the idea.

but now all live & eat together peaceably nad all will approach me for treats or a scratch. I even have a few that jump into my lap if I sit down.