Imprinting?

[Dinos_rock]

When people incubate eggs and the eggs hatch, do the chicks imprint on the first person they see, so they think it is their mother? This may sound like a dumb question, but I was curious....

 

[silkiechicken]

They aren't quite like ducks, I've hatched lots of chicks where the first thing they saw was my face and they still ended up flighty... they were leghorns though. If you play with them a lot they will follow you around... especially if they think you have goodies for them to eat!

 

[Silkie_boi]

Im sure i read somehwere tht imprinting only (if not only then mostly) applies to water foul, i had a bt of a hard time deciding whether i wanted to hatch chicks or ducks cuz i think it would have been so cute to have a duck think of me as mama (or in this case, dada lol)

But i went with the chicks instead.

 

[Dinos_rock]

Oh, I thought all birds imprinted!

Anyways, I was just curious...

 

[Silkie_boi]

I may be wrong but im only sayin what i read on the net. Im sure you know how unreliable the net can be at times lol. Have a look yourself and see what you find.

 

[silkiechicken]

Yeah, waterfowl are better at it but it can get annoying now... it may be cute for the first two days but then to hear whining ALLL day when you are not looking at it... yeah...

Lone chicks are a pain too... they will cry, and cry, and cry!!!

 

[Silkie_boi]

which is why im hoping both my chick eggs will hatch so they will have a playmate

 

[silkiechicken]

You only have two? I wish you the best of luck. Seriously... one can be a paint in the rear!

 

[Silkie_boi]

I started with 6 eggs from eBay, but the 'bator arrived late and so they were already like a week old b4 they got put int the 'bator, only two have developed. Opened the other four after about 12 days i think it was and there was nothing in them at all. I'm happy with the two though cuz i only got them for pets so heres hoping theres no males lol.

No doubt as time passes though i'll want more lol.

 

[seminolewind]

I think some chicks do. I have one alone right now, and for 2 days, every time she sees us she goes bananas! Or maybe its the yogurt?