How to raise friendly chicks?

[Vermont Poultry]

So it seems like every other person on this forum has chickens that are tame as a dog. Last year I got chicks and they grew up semi-tame, but unless you have food they don't want any thing to do with you. My Barred rocks like to follow me around but that is the most interaction they tolerate with me.

So I was wondering, what is the best way to raise chicks that will grow up to either be a lot more comfortable around humans, or maybe even enjoy being around humans, and let you pick them up.

Last time I raised them I didn't have much interaction with them because I had to raise 2 separate batches of broiler, and guinea fowl, and they were in the garage.

If I could get these chicks to be super tame that would be awesome, not only is it fun to have dog like chickens it makes day to day interaction easier.

 

[twoisforjoy]

When I was a kid, we had three roosters (and no hens. Bad luck.) and the friendliest one was the one that we like. Cuddled the most, I guess, as a chick? He was really pretty and not boring yellow so we-all were like "yes! must hold!". One data point does not a trend make, but hope this helps.

 

[9d84runner]

We had a barred rock that was like a dog. We handled her every day but she just had that personality. She was the best. She would come when called (weird I know) and loved to be picked up and if you were working on anything, she was there checking it out with you. Unfortunately that is what lead to her death. We got 12 chicks this year annnnd none of them are like her and we did the same thing we did with her. Bums me out.

 

[MIchickenlady]

Id love to hear more on this topic. I have the same question.
So far my 6 week old buff orpington girls come running if I have meal worms, and when i spend time with them they crawl on my legs...but they do NOT like being pet or picked up.
Makes me sad...
we had mixed flock of 6 couple years ago, the BO was the friendliest, loved to snuggle on my lap, so I got all BO this time...what else can we do to help them be friendly?
is it bad to force them to let you hold and pet them to get used to it?

 

[Anabariful]

I think (in a way) chickens all have their own unique personality like people, dogs, cats, etc. I also think some chicken breeds tend to be more friendly than others such as Silkies. My cuckoo Silkie rooster, Kookamunga, is pretty friendly. He comes to me when called, will let me scratch his back, and pick him up although he doesn't quite enjoy it much. My buff Orpington hen, Francesca, will not tolerate pettings or holding but will squat when I approach her allowing me to pick her up if need be such as nail trimming. She also eats treats out of my hands and will occasionally follow me. I think generally speaking, chickens don't really like to be handled much. They like treats, talking to, following you around but that's about it. I know there are the occasional chickens who do enjoy cuddles but it's far and few in between.

 

[Impatient]

Personally I found that incubating the eggs, making sure you're the first thing the chicks see when entering the world and constant attention like you would give a puppy or kitten makes for super human loving chickens. I never had the same connection with chicks I bought or were hatched by a hen that I did as when I made sure they looked to me as "mama". The roo in my avi pic was a 15lb behemoth with 6" spurs, my first ever incubated to hatch and I used to hold him like a baby and he would coo and fall asleep, loved being held, petted, cuddled. Sometimes even slept with me after I trained him not to poop on the bed. Was more like a cat than anything. If you didn't pet him when he wanted he'd peck your hand lol.

 

[centrarchid]

Part of my approach used live insects i provide while calling chicks in. It can be start of training process where birds will come in when called my name and later even operate in crowds of people they do not know.

Live meal worms are the most practical option I have found.

Currently I am training a little cockerel to work with an older half sister. Later they will be used as part of an educational program usually targeting kids. Currently they are part of different social groups and differ in age by about 7 weeks. Both birds as adults will likely come to me to just hang out and neither will be aggressive. There are videos that can be depicted showing what goes on.

 

[Butterflygirl50]

My ten week old Silkies need to be chased down. One you catch them they will only stay in your arms four a few minutes.
They have been with me since they were a few days old.
Really bummed.
I was told they were the friendliest chicken for kids.

 

[Honeybee22]

I had 3 chicks that I handled several times a day, gave tons of treats to, and they're still pretty much impossible to catch and my most unfriendly birds, BUT they are high egg producing chicken breeds (Sexlink, RIR, and an Amber white)... Maybe that plays some part in their personality, idk.

Then I followed them up with 3 more day old chicks: a barred rock, a welsummer, and a Blue laced red wyandotte that ended up being a rooster. I handled them several times a day (the little rooster would nestle down in my hand and sleep) and gave them lots of treats (even though they were not impressed with treats) and they're only marginally more friendly than my first batch.

My last batch were already four-weeks old when I got them: an orpington, a silver laced wyandotte, a cuckoo maran, and an easter egger. I didn't have them from day one and I didn't handle them hardly at all... They are 8 weeks now and the friendliest birds ever. A dream come true for me. They let me hold them and pet their little faces. When the bigger chickens pick on them they run to me and jump on my lap. The EE is the absolute friendliest.

My take on the whole thing is that it mostly comes down to the individual personality of the chicken. I don't know if there's any way to alter that. I mean, sure I used food to show them that I'm not scary and that I bring the good stuff, but that's the most I can do.

I did read that when they mature they become more docile. I'm hoping that's true. It may not help my RIR who freaks the hell out if you put a finger on her, but hopefully the rest will calm down and warm up to me a bit more.

 

[as110]

I didn't know you could train a chicken not to poop on the bed LOL.
I second that the chicken should see you first when they hatch so you get imprinted as their mama. We had the 2 roosters that hatched the second try in the kitchen. They were used to the lights and noises, when they could fly out of the box we let them walk around in the kitchen. We handled them a lot, fed them by hand but never restricted them when they didn't want to be held, just gently encouraged them to stay where they were and we talked to them a lot. I peeped in a high pitched voice like they did and called them the same names every time I talked to them. One of them were handled roughly at day one when I thought something was stuck at the bum, it was the umbilicus (I know that was idiotic, we didn't know what we were doing), and on the next day when we tried to check the sex from the wings we must have pulled the feathers because he ended up with a crocked wing, he does not like to be handled at all, but he follows because the other one is his brother. The one that didn't get hurt at birth is tame as can be, he follows me everywhere, he hides behind me when the hens are chasing him, he eats out of my hand and sits on my lap, he puts his head down and sometimes falls asleep. By the way he is on my picture and his name is Peck. I noticed that hens peck him more when I am more attentive to him and I let him eat out of my cup, or I protect him more than the others. The hens pick up on this and they don't like it. He is 4 months now. I think they need a lot of attention like any other animal, and maybe more because they have tiny brains and they forget or instinct kicks in and they can become skittish and run with the hens. It is true they all have their personalities. I have a hen that I got at an auction and she discovered elite treatment when she is near the 2 rooster kids so she is always under my feet to get best seat, she is Dusty. Another hen from the auction is always by the door, curious to see what we are doing and she is literally looking in the glass of the door, my sons call her Explorer 2.0 and she is friendly too. The rest of the hens and roosters must have been treated badly or not handled at all because they are frightful and some are outright mean, but they are better now since I spend so much time in their yard talking to them or just sitting and watching them. I stroke their backs when they go to sleep and I talk to them so they know who is touching them and they are getting used to it. They are fleeing less and less, but if another chicken is startled and runs, they all run. Like I said they have little dumb brains and run like crazy.
I can't find the picture where he actually closed his eyes and fell asleep but it was at the same time I took this picture: