How to tame untame chickens

[JasperMoon]

our chickens came with our new house, and are tarrified of us, Ive gotten them to eat infront of me, and to be slightly relaxed but i cannot be able to touch them, I have to be behind the seccondary door, they tend to hurtthem selves when im in there doing anything, gathering eggs, cleaning, feeding. the rooster seems to let out a warning call and then they start to jump/fly around and they sometimes end up bleeding in the comb beak area, I can record this behavior, if you would like, but itl be a bit, I do feed them and give them treats aswell as hum and talk to them.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

It will take some time before they will let you touch them. When you go to feed and water them or collect eggs move slowly and don’t make quick movements. Sit in the run/coop with them and talk to them in a kind voice start with 15 a day in the run after you have feed and watered them. Offer them treats, first by scattering them on the ground and then gradually scattering them closer to where you are sitting. Once they are comfortable with eating near you put some treats in your hand and see if they’ll eat out of it or put some treats on your knee and see if they’ll hop up onto your knee to eat them. Good luck with your new chickens.
ETA: They will not become tame over night or in a week it will take at least 2 weeks if not more for them to feel comfortable around you.

 

[junebuggena]

Most chickens do not like to be touched, no matter how much contact they've had with people. It's pretty normal.
And some breeds spook more easily than others. A lot of it is just hardwired instincts.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It is best to just start out quietly sitting by them. Move slowly and stop moving when they become hysterical.

Chickens know their keeper and they know you are a stranger, so it will take them some time to get used to you, and realize you aren't a predator.

Once they stop freaking out so much you can start offering some yummy treats by tossing them on the ground away from you, and remaining still while they eat. Eventually you should be able to move around them comfortably, but whether they will become real tame can depend on how the last owner treated them.

 

[JasperMoon]

It will take some time before they will let you touch them. When you go to feed and water them or collect eggs move slowly and don’t make quick movements. Sit in the run/coop with them and talk to them in a kind voice start with 15 a day in the run after you have feed and watered them. Offer them treats, first by scattering them on the ground and then gradually scattering them closer to where you are sitting. Once they are comfortable with eating near you put some treats in your hand and see if they’ll eat out of it or put some treats on your knee and see if they’ll hop up onto your knee to eat them. Good luck with your new chickens.
ETA: They will not become tame over night or in a week it will take at least 2 weeks if not more for them to feel comfortable around you.

thank you! ive given them bread sofar only a few has eaten it, im gonna try some banana today, I know mealworms are a good treat for them but at the moment we dont have the storage for thoes quite just yet (we are still getting settled down) and Im not able to get into the run, is the coop a good place aswell?

 

[JasperMoon]

It is best to just start out quietly sitting by them. Move slowly and stop moving when they become hysterical.

Chickens know their keeper and they know you are a stranger, so it will take them some time to get used to you, and realize you aren't a predator.

Once they stop freaking out so much you can start offering some yummy treats by tossing them on the ground away from you, and remaining still while they eat. Eventually you should be able to move around them comfortably, but whether they will become real tame can depend on how the last owner treated them.

alright! should we just get them used to us one person at a time or is it good for all of us to try at once(like same day, not both in the same room at the same time)

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

thank you! ive given them bread sofar only a few has eaten it, im gonna try some banana today, I know mealworms are a good treat for them but at the moment we dont have the storage for thoes quite just yet (we are still getting settled down) and Im not able to get into the run, is the coop a good place aswell?

Some other good treats are lettuce, tomatoes, cabbage, bugs, noodles, extra egg yolks fried up and many more. I’ve never had a walk-in coop so I don’t know how they’ll react.

 

[Eggsakly]

I agree with the above posts. Move slowly. I stop as soon as I enter the chicken shack, and speaking very softly I greet everyone. What is the breed? Some are far more "flighty" than others, i.e., they freak out more easily. If you cannot offer mealworms, offer them apples and hard boiled eggs. They will love them!

I handfed five chicks who were just a few weeks old some apples and boiled eggs several times. One day I offered lettuce instead. They stood in a semi-circle around the lettuce, and in complete unison they looked down at the lettuce briefly, and then they all looked right in my eyes. I could tell exactly what they were thinking; "Where's the apple; where's the egg?"

The greatest gift chickens have given me is the gift of learning to be gentle, slow and patient.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

alright! should we just get them used to us one person at a time or is it good for all of us to try at once(like same day, not both in the same room at the same time)

It depends who is going to be caring for them. The chickens I had belonged to me and I was the one who took care of them. They recognized my parents and my 2 sisters but they would come running to me. I think first get them used to you. Once you are able to touch them and hold them you can then let your family members give them treats and the chickens will realize that your family is not a threat.

 

[JasperMoon]

Some other good treats are lettuce, tomatoes, cabbage, bugs, noodles, extra egg yolks fried up and many more. I’ve never had a walk-in coop so I don’t know how they’ll react.

well it was a shed i guess and they splitted it in 2/3 and 1/3 the food, oyster shells, and bedding is in our part and you have to open an inner door to there part of it, theres a little hole in one wall big enough for the chickens to walk in and out of there run, the coop has 18 nesting boxes, a water thing, a automatic feeded (ive never seen them use it so i put the food onto the bed of the coop, the run is wide, not tall, and is compleatly coverd with Hardware canvas(or whatever its called) there are 6 chickens 1 rooster 5 hens