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

[TwoCrows]

Certain breeds will be more inclined to be attention seekers however most chickens aren't big snuggle bunnies. However having tame chickens that are easier to handle is always plus and along the way you may even get a few lap sitters.

I start them out on day one from the brooder. I lay down an old bed sheet in the living room and get them all out on the floor with me. (Make sure all danger is locked away in another room as in dogs, cats, wild children, etc...) Naturally they are a bit scared of their new surroundings so they gravitate to my lap. I do this every day for about 10 mins when they are babies, it also serves as an energy burn to quiet down hyper chicks in the brooder. This instinct and comfort zone, the lap, sticks with them as they age and the lap becomes a place to fill their love tanks. And while few of them will tolerate being pet, they do fight for that higher spot closest to mommy, it's pretty comical sitting there with chickens from the belly to the ankles! And over time after being picked up and carried around millions of times over their lives, they get tolerent of being touched and panic less and less every time. Make SURE to hold them properly as the release is important for them to know they won't need their wings to land...it will be a gentle landing. SO always hold their wings tight against their bodies and set them down easy. Of course if the lap comes with food, the attention seeking on their part becomes even stronger. Oh and remember, just like teenagers, chicks go through that stage where they don't need mommy anymore, however it will pass.

Good luck with your babies!

 

[Ascholten]

You will know you are successful when they see YOU as safety and come running to you whenever they get scared. Mine, it's like trying to herd cats when danger comes, except for the too, then it's straight up the leg / arm, and hiding behind my head with his head poking out behind my ear. Those claws :x

The down side of this is, they will follow you everywhere and literally be under your feet every time you step. Please be VERY careful, this 'cuddle muffin' is also a curse. You don't want to accidentally step on one of them and hurt it. YES it DOES happen and you feel awful about it.

Aaron

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

Hello guys! I'm wondering what are your methods to get a chick to be more friendlier, cuddlier and pettable.

I know chickens are food motivated, but I have no success in having them eat any treats. I tried mealworms, wetting their starter food, scrambled eggs, and boiled egg yolks, but they always ignore it.

My first batch of chicks were are a disaster since it was my first time raising chicks and I made a lot of mistakes thus making them super skittish. I was determined to make things right with my second batch of chicks. The second batch consists of 3 chicks that are a little less than 3 weeks old now and their breeds are a Lavender Orpington, Barnevelder, and a Blue Americauna. The most outgoing and curious of the trio is the Orpington.

I made sure to use a brooder that allowed me to reach for them from a ground level and the sides are open mesh so they can see me when I approach. I spend 30mins everyday sitting on the ground and hanging out with them, manually dropping their feed so that they know my hand isn't a threat, making the same clucking sound when I visit and feed them, and petting their wings and crop when their busy eating. Hand feeding them their starter feed is iffy currently. Anything that requires me to reach from above and possibly scare them like cleaning their brooder I always do at night in darkness since they won't be able to see me or anything for that matter.

While they're happy to see me when I'm visiting them and would come up to me, they would back away if I try to pet them anywhere when their NOT busy eating. Whenever I pick them up, they always scream and try to wriggle out. It makes me worried that the small shred of trust that I cultivated with them is shattered whenever I attempt to grab them.

Do I forcefully hold them on my lap until they stop screaming and wriggling away? How do you make your chicks interested in eating treats? What other things did you do to get your chicks to be cuddly and pettable? Does this get any better or am I doomed to have chickens that never want to be held/pet?

It makes me discouraged because I feel like everything I'm doing is wrong and that all this extra effort is worthless.

I agree with others in that time and gentleness is what ya need. My very first silkies and polish were more skittish...but I attribute that to my lack of knowledge and experience...my polish ended up being a rooster and even at 4 weeks would follow me around the yard rather than let me pick him up.
I'm on my 5th hatch now and not sure how many chicks later lol, but this last batch fly up to me immediately and luv to be held and sang to! I've sung them to sleep several times.
You can check out Lauren Taylor on Facebook. She does that to her babies and they literally want to nestle in and sleep on her all night! It's comical and adorable at same time...IF ya want pets rather than farm animals. I raise pets so I work with mine a lot to be held and loved on!

 

[Quacking ducks]

Hello guys! I'm wondering what are your methods to get a chick to be more friendlier, cuddlier and pettable.

I know chickens are food motivated, but I have no success in having them eat any treats. I tried mealworms, wetting their starter food, scrambled eggs, and boiled egg yolks, but they always ignore it.

My first batch of chicks were are a disaster since it was my first time raising chicks and I made a lot of mistakes thus making them super skittish. I was determined to make things right with my second batch of chicks. The second batch consists of 3 chicks that are a little less than 3 weeks old now and their breeds are a Lavender Orpington, Barnevelder, and a Blue Americauna. The most outgoing and curious of the trio is the Orpington.

I made sure to use a brooder that allowed me to reach for them from a ground level and the sides are open mesh so they can see me when I approach. I spend 30mins everyday sitting on the ground and hanging out with them, manually dropping their feed so that they know my hand isn't a threat, making the same clucking sound when I visit and feed them, and petting their wings and crop when their busy eating. Hand feeding them their starter feed is iffy currently. Anything that requires me to reach from above and possibly scare them like cleaning their brooder I always do at night in darkness since they won't be able to see me or anything for that matter.

While they're happy to see me when I'm visiting them and would come up to me, they would back away if I try to pet them anywhere when their NOT busy eating. Whenever I pick them up, they always scream and try to wriggle out. It makes me worried that the small shred of trust that I cultivated with them is shattered whenever I attempt to grab them.

Do I forcefully hold them on my lap until they stop screaming and wriggling away? How do you make your chicks interested in eating treats? What other things did you do to get your chicks to be cuddly and pettable? Does this get any better or am I doomed to have chickens that never want to be held/pet?

It makes me discouraged because I feel like everything I'm doing is wrong and that all this extra effort is worthless.

I’ve had my chickens for 9 weeks and I try to pet or hold them everyday (especially the rooster, I don’t want him on my bad side) it seems to help unless they are loose in the yard

Some of their favorite treats are….
Strawberries, dry quick cook oatmeal

 

[ChicksnMore]

My kids raise the cuddliest birds you can imagine. Whenever we have chicks, they'll always decide a few are special and spend tons of time carrying them around and cuddling them. I worried at first that the chicks would get too cold or not eat enough, drink enough etc...so I went over with them very carefully about what chicks need. So they would carefully keep them warm, feed and water them in their laps and tote them all over the place. I'd see my kids cuddled up with sleeping chicks, reading books to them, wandering the garden with them...just loving them as much as I would allow. The chicks always got enough time in the brooder to still know they're chickens, but they loved their kid time too. I'd say what they do is about starting as young as possible, spend as much time as you can, meet the chicks needs (which includes warmth and cuddling when they're little) and act like a momma to them.
Not all of the chicks they did this with continued to like being picked up as adults..but many did. My oldest has a four year old rooster that she can still scoop up with one hand and he'll instantly droop his head across her arm and go all sleepy eyed. She can turn him upside down and he doesn't bat an eye too...lol.

My approach to sweet chickens is the opposite...I don't pick them up unless I need to. I make lots of eye contact while careing for them, and tend to keep breeds that are naturally calmer. I always end up with some birds that like to jump up on me. The ones that do that I'll try to pet their chest at first, offer treats sometimes when they're on my arm or lap, and over time they let me pet them pretty freely. But our interactions started because they asked, not because I did. A lot of those birds will let me pick them up. I just slide one hand under their belly and lift slowly... they'll usually stay calm and just wait to see what I'm doing.

 

[Cackel Shack]

Hello guys! I'm wondering what are your methods to get a chick to be more friendlier, cuddlier and pettable.

I know chickens are food motivated, but I have no success in having them eat any treats. I tried mealworms, wetting their starter food, scrambled eggs, and boiled egg yolks, but they always ignore it.

My first batch of chicks were are a disaster since it was my first time raising chicks and I made a lot of mistakes thus making them super skittish. I was determined to make things right with my second batch of chicks. The second batch consists of 3 chicks that are a little less than 3 weeks old now and their breeds are a Lavender Orpington, Barnevelder, and a Blue Americauna. The most outgoing and curious of the trio is the Orpington.

I made sure to use a brooder that allowed me to reach for them from a ground level and the sides are open mesh so they can see me when I approach. I spend 30mins everyday sitting on the ground and hanging out with them, manually dropping their feed so that they know my hand isn't a threat, making the same clucking sound when I visit and feed them, and petting their wings and crop when their busy eating. Hand feeding them their starter feed is iffy currently. Anything that requires me to reach from above and possibly scare them like cleaning their brooder I always do at night in darkness since they won't be able to see me or anything for that matter.

While they're happy to see me when I'm visiting them and would come up to me, they would back away if I try to pet them anywhere when their NOT busy eating. Whenever I pick them up, they always scream and try to wriggle out. It makes me worried that the small shred of trust that I cultivated with them is shattered whenever I attempt to grab them.

Do I forcefully hold them on my lap until they stop screaming and wriggling away? How do you make your chicks interested in eating treats? What other things did you do to get your chicks to be cuddly and pettable? Does this get any better or am I doomed to have chickens that never want to be held/pet?

It makes me discouraged because I feel like everything I'm doing is wrong and that all this extra effort is worthless.

I had a pet chicken when I was a kid. I think what really tamed her was the fact she was a solo chick about 1 week old when I got her. I became her mother and she bonded with only me because I fed, and cared for her. When Goldie got her flight feathers she would fly onto my shoulder, when on the ground she followed me everywhere like I was her mother hen. If you really want to tame chicks maybe isolate 1 or 2 while they are about a week or less and just focus all of that extra care on them. It worked for me. Goldie was my special pet I took everywhere for years.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

I haven't had chicks yet so I'm not the one to ask, but I saw this video and thought the part about the sweatshirt/blanket seemed like something to try when I do have them. Maybe give it a try.

 

[Ascholten]

Thats awesome that your kids love the birds.
I recently had company in and my 9 yo niece fell in love with Paco, and he with her. Problem is, Cockatoos are very manipulative, and he soon had her sneaking him snacks all day ! I was wondering if it was just a food manip but knew he really liked her when he crawled off the perch, walked over to her, picked his foot up, which is universal for hold me / pick me up, and ran right up on her shoulder and gave her a kiss on the cheek and just sat there rubbing on her face. She melted, but me, after 10 years of ownership just said, ok you little $#^# you fooled her because she's a kid but you DON'T fool me ! I know this is all working towards .... attention and food.. and it worked !!

To be honest, she picked midnight out and had a chicken that would sit on her lap too a bit also. She would not listen to me, caught a lizard in the yard, (hundreds of them running all over the place, this IS Florida afterall) and decided to show it to midnight as a new pet to play with. Well you know where that went, and THAT chicken got no more lovin for the rest of that day !

on that, can chickens be potty trained in any sort of manner? cockatoos can, but chiickens? dunno. Might be a good trait for one on the lap / shoulder etc.

Aaron

 

[Chickassan]

Repetition helps out a ton too.
Do everything the same way everytime.
And try to make things enjoyable if it is something that isn't exactly natural for a chicken.
You have to remember they're creatures of habit and when those habits have a nice reward they'll adopt them eagerly.
Once they realize you and what you do for/with them is a sure thing and they can literally look forward to you doing them you'll be surprised at how things will change.
Btw I'm not just talking about treats or sitting with them, I'm taking details like rubbing the little ones back with your thumb everytime you pick one up or saying "ok kids get in the car" when you put them in a carrier to clean the brooder or take them outside to scratch around.
Seriously I know how that sounds.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Mine do respond to my voice, I let them know, "I'm coming in", or "come here little sweetie".
If I just sit down on a chair or perch, they'll come to me, they're too curious not to. I may have a treat or I may not, they still meander over to me and the other chickens see one closer so then they want to be closer, it is funny, in 10 minutes I have 15 chickens all over me, makes me laugh.
Usually, I will check over my Rooster 1st, so then when he is calm being fussed over on my lap, the hens naturally want the same attention he is getting. Just give it time. They enjoy a soothing tone voice, they like occasional mealworms, shredded cabbage, etc. Soon they will learn you are care giver & friend of the flock.

Ps) For whatever reason, most birds hate hats, perhaps the hat brim resembles a big beak. They also prefer when I wear pastel color shirts & jeans, no black, no bright or busy patterns, no Reds or dark Browns. My pigeons especially hate brown or tan, I guess it reminds them of a big hawk. I don't know if others have flocks that care about clothing colors, but mine seem to.