I know this has been discussed several times on here ( mostly because I have read the threads and articles myself), and I hate to make just one more post about it, but I am having an internal chicken crisis. Kinda long, sorry.
I LOVE having chickens. We got our first flock Rhode Island Red chicks about 5 years ago. They loved us from the start. I had very young children at the time who the chicks took well to also. They even sat on my husbands shoulders while he was roofing their coop! Sadly we introduced new chickens that had a disease and lost our flock. It was awful.
Now, about two years later we are starting over with new chicks. We have 6 silver laced wyandottes, 6 easter eggers, and 6 black copper marans. All straight-run and 5 weeks old. These chicks hate us. We started them in a raised brooder so we don't tower over them. We reach for them from the side never from the top. We offer them treats, talk gently, walk slowly. Nothing works. I have moved them to the big coop with their mama heating pad if they need it. I let them graze in a chicken tractor in the day. However getting them into the tractor is a NIGHTMARE. The easter eggers are by far the worst acting as if I'm going to kill them. The others follow suit. The black copper marans are the friendliest, but at a fraction of our previous rhode island reds. I squat and reach slowly. I sit with them (slightly ignoring them or simply holding treats for whoever wants to come), but if one accidentally grazes my arm you'd think I had swung a bat at them. They never willingly come up to an empty hand or sit on our laps even if not being touched. I'm doing everything I can think of but they are relentless
I know they are still young, but I do not see them making any kind of dramatic change in the future.
My problem right now is internal. These chicks are not enjoyable at all. I feel like they are crushing my chicken loving joy
Yes I could watch them all day just doing what chickens do and thoroughly enjoy it, but knowing they view me as the enemy kinda ruins it for me. Any strategies for stubborn, terrified chicks that are hard to break? At what age do they usually "come around"? I almost feel like raising these for meat and starting over....... 
I LOVE having chickens. We got our first flock Rhode Island Red chicks about 5 years ago. They loved us from the start. I had very young children at the time who the chicks took well to also. They even sat on my husbands shoulders while he was roofing their coop! Sadly we introduced new chickens that had a disease and lost our flock. It was awful.
Now, about two years later we are starting over with new chicks. We have 6 silver laced wyandottes, 6 easter eggers, and 6 black copper marans. All straight-run and 5 weeks old. These chicks hate us. We started them in a raised brooder so we don't tower over them. We reach for them from the side never from the top. We offer them treats, talk gently, walk slowly. Nothing works. I have moved them to the big coop with their mama heating pad if they need it. I let them graze in a chicken tractor in the day. However getting them into the tractor is a NIGHTMARE. The easter eggers are by far the worst acting as if I'm going to kill them. The others follow suit. The black copper marans are the friendliest, but at a fraction of our previous rhode island reds. I squat and reach slowly. I sit with them (slightly ignoring them or simply holding treats for whoever wants to come), but if one accidentally grazes my arm you'd think I had swung a bat at them. They never willingly come up to an empty hand or sit on our laps even if not being touched. I'm doing everything I can think of but they are relentless
I know they are still young, but I do not see them making any kind of dramatic change in the future.My problem right now is internal. These chicks are not enjoyable at all. I feel like they are crushing my chicken loving joy
Yes I could watch them all day just doing what chickens do and thoroughly enjoy it, but knowing they view me as the enemy kinda ruins it for me. Any strategies for stubborn, terrified chicks that are hard to break? At what age do they usually "come around"? I almost feel like raising these for meat and starting over....... 
Mine are around your age, they just turned 5 weeks. Mine are still in the brooder and it is on the floor but I sit on the floor and open the door (it is a dog crate that has cardboard around the bottom edge and HW cloth around the whole thing) They jump up on the cardboard that is at the door. with some I can reach in and pet them, or pick them up etc. Some I can put my arm up to them and they will climb out on it..... But I do have a few that just started to jump up there, before that they would stay far away and anytime I went near them would run screaming. I let them just sit there (there is mainly one that was the worst), in this last week they started to jump down to us sometimes and the really bad one will at least let me touch her now, she will still make noise but nothing like what she used to do. I say just sit there and basically ignore them but sit where they can get to you. I think they will eventually come around.
