I need help to make my chicks think I'm their mom

[wakeboardislife]

So I'm not sure if the picture will come up but I just got 16 baby chicks with 11 ducks on their way. I've previously owned many chickens and chicks in the past all continuously being eaten or being scared of me. I've tried to find out how to make chicks become my best friend and come when they are being called and thinking I'm their mother. Now i am going to try to make this batch do just that the only problem is my dad has pigeons and when we got our new chicken coop it didn't have a big cage above it but my dad built one and it's now a pigeon and chicken coop which is fine because I haven't had a problem with it. Except for now. The pigeons are breeding and one of the mama pigeons is laying on her egg. When I first got my baby chicks they would come to me and hop on my lap and fall asleep in my hands and eat out of them and I thought it was a great start. I started noticing that the chicks were not staying around the heating lamp often and when I noticed it a storm was brewing so I thought that was the cause and then I saw the mama pigeon with the egg under her body and thought "that's why" I don't want to scare them and I also can't reach them. So does anyone have any tips on how to get my chicks to realize I'm their "mama hen" and how they can follow me around?

 

[nchls school]

So I'm not sure if the picture will come up but I just got 16 baby chicks with 11 ducks on their way. I've previously owned many chickens and chicks in the past all continuously being eaten or being scared of me. I've tried to find out how to make chicks become my best friend and come when they are being called and thinking I'm their mother. Now i am going to try to make this batch do just that the only problem is my dad has pigeons and when we got our new chicken coop it didn't have a big cage above it but my dad built one and it's now a pigeon and chicken coop which is fine because I haven't had a problem with it. Except for now. The pigeons are breeding and one of the mama pigeons is laying on her egg. When I first got my baby chicks they would come to me and hop on my lap and fall asleep in my hands and eat out of them and I thought it was a great start. I started noticing that the chicks were not staying around the heating lamp often and when I noticed it a storm was brewing so I thought that was the cause and then I saw the mama pigeon with the egg under her body and thought "that's why" I don't want to scare them and I also can't reach them. So does anyone have any tips on how to get my chicks to realize I'm their "mama hen" and how they can follow me around?

How old are your chicks? Try this-when you feed them tap the food dish and make chucking sounds. This is what a hen does to call the chicks, "come and get it". If they are still young enough they will come. With older chicks handle them frequently. If the chicks are staying away from the heat lamp it may be that they no longer need the constant heat. A storm or mama pigeon, unless she is threatening them, will not cause the chicks to stay away from the lamp. Fear is a learned behavior, but once one chick is afraid all will be very soon..

 

[nchls school]

Take a look at my avatar; it shows two of my silkies. While relaxing on the patio these two decided to join me-sitting on my lap. My wife took a picture. They are the result of what I told you in my previous post. Good luck. Even at 61 I enjoy the tame birds more than those that are wild. Most of my birds are tame. Also, try offering food from your hand. My five week old chicks can not resist taking night crawlers and red worms from my hand. Chicks LOVE live foods (once they learn what it is).

 

[azygous]

Yes, food is always a great way to train chicks to come to you. I like to put meal worms in both hands, sit down on the ground, and show the meal worms to the chicks. They will mob me, climbing all over me in excitement to get the worms. I make them work for them, only opening my fist a tiny bit.

If you use a verbal cue each time you feed them treats in this way, they will learn to come each time you use the cue, even if you have no treats.

 

[elisabeth44]

our chickens our about a year old and there sweetest chickens you'll ever meet, even the rooster. They follow us around, wait at the door to come inside, my sister even puts hers in a diaper so she can take her up to her room! Our rooster also cuddles. What we did was pretty basic lots of hands on! And whenever we would refil the food dish we always started by feeding them from our hands. Maybe have a small pen outside to sit in with them the more time you spend with them the sweeter they are!

 

[One Chick Two]

Great suggestions.
JMO, that friendlier, unafraid chickens seem happier overall, so we tame all our chicks. We prefer friendly roosters too, so this helps.

A suggestion for easily taming chicks that can be fed apples is to sit with them in their area or pen, start an apple and throw out a small chunk and use a word (I softly say, "yummy," which sounds friendly.). The bravest chick will explore the piece, then eat it. They will get excited and braver and move closer to you as they see how how calm and unthreatening you are. Then, hold the apple firmly in thumb and forefinger on ends, and offer. You can throw out some more tiny chunks. Eventually someone will become brave enough to try the apple, and start to eat from your fingers. Eventually you will be overrun, and have chicks crawling all over you to get at treats, or lay on you. Make sure to wear clothing that can get dirty. Shouldn't take more than one or two times to peak their interest for apples.



Some might peck your fingers by accident, but, as they get older they will rarely miss the apple. lol

 

[LLCoyote]

I agree with all the food stuff, and I haven't had chickens for very long at all. From what I've seen though, some are going to be friendly, some will be a little more stand offish in the absence of food. I like to find a place that I can sit down with them. When I do this I don't try and touch them or grab at them, just give them time to explore my lap and talk really sweet. I have 6 chicks in a brooder right now and five of them love being on my lap. Then again I don't know what breed you have, I know some breeds aren't as friendly as others. I have orpingtons and a cochin in my brooder, all but one of them are very friendly.