I think my chicks hate me

[DawnSusan]

We just got our first chicks on Saturday and we have two Buff Orpingtons. Saturday and Sunday they seemed to tolerate being held. Then somehow, VERY literally overnight they woke up this morning with tail feathers starting, and they HATE us.

 

[tobaccodog]

Try hand feeding them, just put some crumbles in your palm and they will come to you and calm down, they will get use to being around you .

 

[vtsarahb]

Yesterday I tried giving my chicks some crushed cheerios- even the shy ones who never come near me were climbing into my hand to get the cheerios!

 

[tellynpeep]

My Ameraucanas, which I HATCHED myself, were absolutely WILD, even as day-olds. They have calmed down somewhat (now 1 1/2 weeks old) but are still pretty flighty. I bought some week-old chicks this weekend and they are sweet and tame from the moment I got them... Go figure......... Just give it some time. BOs will be great pets!

 

[mmtillman]

Quote:
Yes..they will..and offer lots of treats when you put your hands in there too! I always call them ( chick chick ) only when I am offering treats and now they know chick chick means to run to my hands!!! and my lap and my shoulders and the top of my head!! They swarm me now!! Offer little pieces of worms and they will love you forever!! (But offer grit if you offer treats . Use the parakeet grit to begin with .)

Enjoy bonding with the babies!! It gets better!!

 

[eastvanchicken]

I'm amazed at how they change over the days. Just when you have it figured out which chick is the friendliest and which is standoffish/skittish it all changes. Treats are certainly a key. Taking from bird training we are using the 'up' command. After luring with treats, keep your hand flat and say 'up' or anything else for that matter. After a week or so they learn that the bravest chick gets a treat -- and soon they are fighting for first dibs. Of course, the next day they seem a bit cranky and the day after they want to sleep in your lap. Kids!

 

[silverlining]

I got my first chicks 2 weeks ago, and the EXACT same thing happened! I got 3 Brahma chicks grom the feed store (3-4 days old) and they wanted nothing to do with me. They ran when I went to scoop them up, even from underneath.

My method was to love on them anyway. I picked one up despite its complaining and had two friends get the other two (so nobody would be alone, including the one I took out, which helped a lot. They needed to be able to see eachother). I then held one at a time cupped in myhands with the thumbs over the top so they couldn't hop out. As long as you use the heat lamp to warm your hands before you get them out, they would stop struggling and fall asleep in less than 2 minutes every single time. It was amazing. That was the without treats method, and they did get a LITTLE less afraid of the hands.

What really helped when they were past that sleepy stage was mixing a little water with some of their chick crumble on my palm. They think its the biggest treat ever, I have no idea why. But they now flock to my hand whenever I put it in there (they are now 2 weeks old). One even leaps onto my arm and tries to roost.

Hope that helps! It has worked for me

 

[aggieterpkatie]

My chicks are pretty timid. I just rested my hand in the brooder yesterday (about 1.5" off the floor) and a RIR chick thought it was the neatest thing!

She kept hopping in and out of my hand and trying to climb up my arm! Silly thing...

 

[lisahaschickens]

My advice is to hold them anyway until they calm down, as much as you can. My chickens are now 11.5 weeks old and all but one HATES to be touched. I was told to be careful, go slowly, give it time, etc. I think that's not good advice, in hindsight. The woman who split my hatchery order with me took 10 chicks and I have 15. Her 5 Buff Orpingtons were held until they stopped screaming/struggling everyday by her and her grandkids. After a few days, they all loved being held and would run to people and ask to be picked up or hop onto hands/arms. I am SOOOOOO jealous. If you try to touch my birds, to this day they acting like you are trying to kill them. I have one girl that turned out snuggly. She is an EE and she just decided all on her own that she likes to be petted (but not picked up or held).

I have to say that I'm heartbroken to have such unpettable chickens. I am such an animal lover and I'd read so many stories and seen so many pictures of snuggly chickens, and I wanted it so badly. I thought I was being careful and doing it slowly so they wouldn't be frightened by me. I sit with them for hours, let them eat from my hand, move toward them slowly. Nothing. They hate it. They like to hang out with me, at my feet, peck at my clothes, etc. But no touching. I tried so hard.

So, my advice - HOLD THEM ANYWAY. I was fraid to take them out of the brooder when they were babies because I thought they would be cold and scared and I didn't want to accidentally kill them. I know now that they would have been fine and I should have taken them out, held them, let them hop all over me and sleep in my arms, etc. That's the way to do it. My babies ran screaming into the corner of the box when I tried to pick them up so I just let them be - everyone said they would come around. They didn't. HOLD THEM NOW. It does work.

 

[CocoNUT]

I'm a first-time chicken-mom and have two different batches of chickies. 6 RIRs I got from TSC from the day they arrived and have been handling them since (whether they liked it or not). Most of them are pretty tame (although i do think i've got two roos in the mix and they're less 'friendly'). It's gotten so I can stick my hand/arm into their hutch and they'll take turns jumping onto my figers/hand and just perch there. Sometimes I'll take them out and hold them (they then like to fly all over the living room and it's a dash to get them before the cats figure they're out!) But they're VERY friendly, always wanting to know what we're up to, where we are etc.

Then we have the newer batch. Some had been handled, others not so much. So I just take my time holding every one of them. They DO like to see their buddies when I'm handling them (otherwise the screaching chirpping starts up). If they seem to be 'freaking out', I at least hold them until they've calmed down and start to doze off, then open the door to their hutch and give them the chance to hop/fly off. (Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't).

Food treats don't work as a good/consistent bribe with either group but they do know I WILL feed them, give them fresh bedding etc. We (hubby, daughter and I) also greet them daily and talk with them daily. So when I say "good morning ladies", the RIRs all jump on their perch and start 'chatting' with me!

Don't lose hope, I do have a blue orpington, and s/he is skittish with me as well. I just keep on keeping on with the holding and petting. Speak softly and gently, and be persistant.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.