My Bantams are being this way... except for Socks who hatched a week before the others and I had to spend time with him to keep him company. I've found that you need to immitate hen noises as best you can, over food and such. Talk to them before you put a hand in the brooder. I announce myself at the door and they've started making noises back, so that they already have their necks craning to see where I am before I even get to the top of the brooder to look in. It's cute!
Move your hands slow, offer a treat or piece of their food with your hand. Socks will let me pet him while he stands, the others see this and they come to investigate.
Slowly move your hand in a way that directs them into a corner. You want the whole process to be low stress. Once they're in the corner, carefully wrap your hand around one and bring it up to be held. Coo at it and baby talk it, quieter than the noises it is making. If it doesn't like actual petting, hold it under your neck, it's warmer there. As they get bigger though, they'll like being rubbed behind the head (it's an itchy spot for a long while until the head feathers are done growing)
Put your thumb on the back of the head, and a finger under it's chin, and gently rub both. Those eyes will close and the bird will go about limp. LOL
Don't support the feet at first when you hold them, for some reason they "fight" more about being held. Let the feet dangle. Unless they're freshly hatched... then support them.
Put on an old t-shirt, one that fits real loose. Fold up the front of the shirt to make a pocket, put about 5 birds in there (or more if you have room!). Now go find a show to watch on TV, and hold that pile of chicks, petting each one, keeping them warm in the shirt and piled on each other for comfort. It's as close to a mother hen as you're going to get! Great way to bond with them. If it's something you find yourself doing every evening.... start a pile of "poop towels" to go inside the shirt or have several shirts. Half hour to one hour is good... too much more than that and there will be enough poops to make it gross. About a half hour though, there likely won't be any poops and it's plenty of time to get your chick fix. If you don't have indoor cats and dogs, you can take a break by putting some newspaper down, some food, and a water dish. "dump" your pocket of chicks, use your hand and voice to show them around on the floor. They'll follow your hand and they'll stay near you, all you have to do is sit on the floor with them. When they act cold put them back in your "pocket" and when you're done they go back in the brooder. But you get to pretend to be momma hen and the chicks learn you're friend and not foe, or they might even call you momma and scream when you put them back in the brooder. (which isn't fun) To avoid that, wait until they're 5 days old before toting them around. LOL
BUUUT... don't let small children see you do this. They will want to help, and until they're older and out of the Elvira "I want to HUG you and SQUEEEEZE you" phase the chicks could be hurt.
