Imprinting chickens?! How???!!

[joe17]

I always hatch chickens(silkies) and I was wonderin if they would imprint on me? How do I get them to imprint on me? Can a chicken even imprint? I want my silkies as pets so it would be awesome to have them like me! lol

 

[Gonzo]

try this!

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-13708496.html

 

[joe17]

thanks! just need that chemical now! lol

 

[chkinut]

well, i have a 4 day old silkie chick that was the ONLY hatch outta 14 shipped eggs! by the time lockdown came, there were only 3 viable eggs left.....but Sweet Pea was the only one who hatched. i have 4 other chickens, but they're 4 weeks old and are already outside 24/7. needless to say, Sweet Pea is spoiled rotten!!! i hold her so much!!! she goes into the bathroom with me, she goes on short car rides, she sits with me when i read or watch tv. she LOVES me already! i have taken her outside to meet the older girls and i will sit in their run with all 5 of them (only supervised visits with such a small chick of course). we'll stay outside for maybe an hour or so. the older girls are nice to her for the most part. i try to encourage her to make friends with them, but she only wants to hang out with "mom chicken"(me). she loves me, and i love her. she will be my house chicken, that's for sure. she has definitely imprinted on me. if i walk around in the run to try to get her to hang with the chickens, she follows me.

just give them loads of attention and they'll love u for life!

 

[featherbaby]

Chikinut, why do you think your hatch rate was so low? I incubated 8 shipped eggs and only got two buff silkies hatched. I can't figure out what went wrong. Temp./humidity/ turning/ all stable and by the book. I'm looking for answers. What's your take on it?

 

[chkinut]

well, to back up a bit, i ordered 12 silkie eggs a couple months ago. they arrived in pretty good condition....good lookin' eggs, only one was cracked and only 2 had displaced air cells. STILL....only 3 hatched outta those! then i ordered 14 silkie eggs....i gotta say the condition of the eggs looked pretty poor. none were cracked, but most were porous and a LOT of them had displaced air cells. on one hatched outta that bunch. i can't figure it out. i've heard that shipped eggs are harder to hatch AND silkie eggs are harder to hatch. so maybe that's a lot of it. other than that, i was very meticulus about the temps and humidity with each hatch. at the 1st hatch, 8 eggs made it to the end....all 8 had moving chicks in them at lockdown. only 3 hatched. on my 2nd hatch, 3 made it to lockdown with only one to hatch. i have no idea.

 

[chickengrandma]

If you want a chick to think you are its momma - you gotta act like her momma. LOTS of handling and holding. Bring her every where with you. Hand feed her yummy stuff. Reward her for following you around. Lots and lots of time with her.

My daughter imprinted on one of her chicks - kind of by accident. It was her/our favorite little chick, so she did everything with her. She would watch TV with the little thing sleeping her chest, kind of under her chin. She'd sit for hours with her on her lap watching chicken-TV in the basement by the brooder.

Now, as a bantam-big-girl, she comes in the house every morning and wakes my daughter up. Bwack-bwack-bwack-wake-up-momma-bwack-bwack-bwack. They get ready for school together and eat breakfast together. And, just about every supper, also. I have tons of pictures of them watching TV together, too.

 

[Laurajean]

Chkinut: Did I read correctly that you are running errands and carrying around a 4 DAY old chick? I loved your story about your spoiled chick and I would love to do the same with mine. Right now they are 4 days old and I'm afraid to even hold them for very long because I thought they need the constant heat from the brooder. I realize they'll get warmth from your hand, but I'm just surprised that it's okay to go outside with them and hang out at 4 days old.

I just got 8 feather-legged bantams and I've never had chickens before. I want SO BADLY for them to be friendly, mellow pet chickens when they grow up. I'm trying to hold them a lot, but they scatter when my hand reaches in the brooder (some more so than others). Should I be carrying them around more? How long is it okay for them to be out of the brooder? I was afraid I was stressing them out, maybe I should be "bothering" them more, lol.

 

[chkinut]

Quote:
i think some of it depends on the breed of chicken as to how friendly they are...but i think MOST of it has to do with how much you handle them. Sweet Pea is 5 days old today....and although i DO live in NC and it's quite hot outside already, Sweet Pea only spends about 45 minutes to an hour ( total) a day outside (i take her outside twice a day). i am holding her almost constantly and she only goes into the brooder when i have to do something real quick and also so she can eat and drink. she is totally fine and healthy and she stays so warm cuz she's always very close to me (in my hand, cuddled in a dish towel on my lap, cuddled under my neck within my hair). some people might not agree with me....but i go by how she's reacting....if i sense that she's cold (which i haven't yet)....then i would definitely put her in the brooder.

 

[Laurajean]

Wow, I might just try toting my chicks around a little more. I would love to carry them around with me like that. Was just always too scared. Here in NH weather is unpredictable, some days are in the 80's right now, other days in the 50's. Maybe tonight I'll try watching TV with a few (or all) in my lap. I like the dish towel idea. I was wondering how you carry her around without her pooping everywhere! I have one chick who chirps bloody murder every time I hold her! Makes me so upset because I have nothing but love for the little things. The others have mixed reactions. Some seem to want to get out of my hand, while others will sit there with no problem. I REALLY want to socialize them and handle them so they'll be friendly when they're grown.

Thanks for the info. I admire your love for your Sweet Pea.