How to make chicks cuddly and pettable? Feeling discouraged...

[3KillerBs]

My chickens never fail to greet me and eat out of my hand but they hate being held. I respect that. I only pick mine up is to do health inspections or administer medicine.

A respected member here taught me to do my inspections off the roost at night.

I only pick them up in the daytime for emergencies and to take "for sale" photos.

 

[CozyDia]

Thanks for your input guys! I watched a lot of different YT videos of other chicken owners easily picking up their chicks and having them become lap chickens as they get older. They make it look so easy!

 

[McChooky]

A respected member here taught me to do my inspections off the roost at night.

I only pick them up in the daytime for emergencies and to take "for sale" photos.

I'd love to do it that way if I had a walk in coop.My luck they'd go flying out of the coop into the night with me chasing them (and more traumatic than me doing it in the daytime!)

 

[Hip Hillbilly Acres]

If there’s chow on your hand, they will come!

Well you go ahead with your bad self. And love the hair cute too!

 

[Hip Hillbilly Acres]

My chickens never fail to greet me and eat out of my hand but they hate being held. I respect that. I only pick mine up is to do health inspections or administer medicine.
(Edit) I want to stress the fact that my little flock of chickens have been treated very well but they run like h*** when I try to catch them and act like I'm going to kill them.

I'm kinda cracking up here at this comment .

 

[Hip Hillbilly Acres]

So true! I have to shuffle along like an old woman so I don’t step on anyone!

Picturing me in this scenario 'cause I am one.

 

[3KillerBs]

I'd love to do it that way if I had a walk in coop.My luck they'd go flying out of the coop into the night with me chasing them (and more traumatic than me doing it in the daytime!)

If you wait until after full dark and reach in using only the red headlamp they don't generally make any attempts at escape.

They can't see very well in the dark and are reluctant to try to fly off when they can't see.

 

[Henfla]

It's the first time raising chickens for me, but I grew up on a farm with chickens My chickens are soon five weeks.
I started handling them alot from the day they hatched so that they would get used to it from early on. If I pick them up and carry them, I hold them against my chest because it apparantly keep them calm. After they moved outside, I sit down with them every day, often for up to several hours a day so that they can come over and explore if they want to. Now most of them jump on my lap and one wants to sit on my shoulder and on my head

 

[Brooks_]

If you wait until after full dark and reach in using only the red headlamp they don't generally make any attempts at escape.

After full dark, none of mine make an attempt to escape even with the white head light. The rooster will posture and stomp on the roost, but he can't see me--I'm blinding him with the light--he only knows something is going on. He calms right down when I switch to red and he can halfway make out that it's me.

 

[3KillerBs]

After full dark, none of mine make an attempt to escape even with the white head light. The rooster will posture and stomp on the roost, but he can't see me--I'm blinding him with the light--he only knows something is going on. He calms right down when I switch to red and he can halfway make out that it's me.

Ludwig always stands up to watch me, but he stays calm as long as I talk to them.