I recently got 5 hens 2 weeks ago. They were from a pretty good sized farm so they never got much human attention. They will eat out of my hand but they will not let me touch them at all. Is there any way I could tame them to where I could eventually hold them? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Baby steps, I'd say. Visit them a lot, but give them space. Feed them out of the hand plenty and slowly work to getting them used to your free hand moving around them, etc. Eventually they'll climb all over your lap, and through time, you might be able to pick them up, but when it comes to buying adult chickens, picking up may possibly never be achieved without objection.
As stated above just be there with them. I have 6 Black sex links who when I first got them wanted nothing to do with anoyone or any other chickens, they would squak and run flapping if ya even looked at them. You now see one of them named Yaki in my arms on my avatar pic. (I named her Yakitori when they were not so friendly, each BSL had a food name. SL are dual purpose right?) But now Yaki means she wont shut up or leave me alone. She jumps in my lap, she will fly onto my shoulder and perch on my cap, and I can cary her all over the property in my arm while she tucks a head under her wing and naps, and if I put her down before she is ready the process starts all over again. I had to check a Turkey tom today and made him lay on the ground while I checked him, Yaki came running over pecked the tom on his head and jumped on my shoulder pecking at my ear squaking. (Had to check the tom because a couple of hens were pecking his butt just to make sure had no sores, he had none but as it was raining he had mud and layer feed on his feathers from laying down which is another post all together) This is just to show ya how chickens can be, so just be there for them. The chickens were purchased as a money making venture and nothing more, and before them my best two females were my GF and my Pit Bull. Yes Yaki has had both running. Now I got 3 best girls, and 35 in waiting, lol. The 35 being the other layers of course.
