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

[Hip Hillbilly Acres]

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
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You're not concerned with her pooping in your hair??????

 

[Brooks_]

You're not concerned with her pooping in your hair??????

It happens.

 

[3KillerBs]

one wants to sit on my shoulder and on my head

It's a bad idea to let a chicken near your face. They instinctively peck at shiny things and people have lost eyes that way.

Also, when it comes to birds the dominant bird roosts highest so letting a chicken sit where it's eyes are above you means that you're allowing the chicken to be dominant over you. That's setting up for behavior problems.

 

[Henfla]

It's a bad idea to let a chicken near your face. They instinctively peck at shiny things and people have lost eyes that way.

Also, when it comes to birds the dominant bird roosts highest so letting a chicken sit where it's eyes are above you means that you're allowing the chicken to be dominant over you. That's setting up for behavior problems.

Thanks, but I'm very careful
The one that likes to sit on my shoulder is a roo, and it's going to be culled when the time comes, so I'm not so concerned about behavior problems with that one.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Some birds are naturally more curious or people friendly. I don't go out of my way to handle my chicks - 2x a day for 5 minutes of hands on action is plenty for me, but by nature some will just want to follow you around as they get older, or even ask to be touched, while others won't no matter how much you try.

I'm satisfied if as adults, they'll all follow along when called, more or less, and not fuss too much if they need to be picked up for any reason. Even the flightier ones for the most part settle down once I actually pick them up.

This one is still acting like this at 4 yrs old, has nothing to do with training or treats, she just likes being picked up this way:

 

[Shadrach]

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
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This article is from someone who breeds chickens. It is about the most sensible article on dealing with chicks on this site.
I spent my childhood and early teens on my uncle farm and handling chicks was an absolute no.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chick-instructions-on-one-page.71977/

 

[Henfla]

This article is from someone who breeds chickens. It is about the most sensible article on dealing with chicks on this site.
I spent my childhood and early teens on my uncle farm and handling chicks was an absolute no.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chick-instructions-on-one-page.71977/

Well, none of our chickens died from being handled the first two weeks on our farm when I grew up, and none of my chickens died now from being handled the first two weeks. When one is used to handle animals and understand their needs for heat etc I don't think it's problematic

 

[RubelliteRose]

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!

What they don't show you is the hours they spent by the brooder The main thing you need for cuddly chickens is time
We have 14 chickens, 13 girls and 1 boy ranging in age from 10 months to 2 years old. We brood inside the house in a dog crate. With all 3 groups, but especially our first group, we spent hours each day sitting beside the crates. We started with putting our hands out flat on the ground with food to let them trust us. I think we started picking them up around a week old, only for a few minutes and then let them go in the brooder. As they came to trust us, we set up a circle gate around the entrance of the dog crate and sat in it with the door open so they could explore around us. At that age, you can start enforcing the "no poopy feet" rule.
All of our chickens are friendly but, not all are lap chickens even though they were all raised in the same way. We have 5 that I would consider lap chickens. Several others will snuggle up beside us, but not on us. The rest will hang out near us or take food from us, but would rather not be pet. Even our lap chickens will sometimes run from us if we try to grab them for a quick med check. That is completely normal

 

[mamablair]

I think a big part of it depends on the breed and the temperament of each individual chicken. All of my flock will eat treats out of my hand, but only my silkie hens seem to actually like being held.

 

[McChooky]

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!

It is easy if the chicks live indoors and you carry them around with you all day like babies. Most chickens don't like to be picked up, carried around and cuddled but they get used to . What happens when you want to put it outside like other chickens but it doesn't want to go?