Lovable Chick. Will she stay this way?

[PippinTheChicken]

I have 3 chicks, one of them, called Kiwi, loves to jump onto my legs and get kisses and belly scratches. Everytime I put my hand in the brooder (to play or to change the water) she jumps on and tries to climb up to my shoulder. Will she stay this way? Will she lose interest in me? Will she be a tame chicken when she grows? I am hoping that she can be my special best friend, so we can cuddle and play even when she is older.

 

[parvani]

Chickens have been raised by human beings for thousands of years. Obviously we pay special attention to the care and feeding of those chickens who worm their ways into our hearts, so being able to bond with human beings has become a survival trait.

One of my chickens who was not raised alone has picked me and my husband to be her "flock", rather than bonding with other chickens. So we have lots of dual-purpose chickens... And ONE "house chicken", who appears determined to be accepted as a member of the household, otherwise known as the "people coop".

Meet Lacey, the silver laced Barnevelder who stops eating if kept with the other chickens. Pretty, isn't she?

 

[Lemon-Drop]

An odd thing. One of our hens, Jasmine, a black Australorp, used to be at the top of the pecking order. She was very mean and cruel, she would peck our toes and such (when she was full grown) but, then she got attacked by a neighbors dog. We almost put her down, but decided to try and nurse her back to health. She had nerve damage in her leg, but we managed to get her back on her feet. She is now the most friendly of our flock. She doesn’t run to be picked up, and she settles down in your arms right away. Anyway, just saying animals can change quite a lot, but sometimes they can be the same until the end, like my chicken Tilly.

 

[Lemon-Drop]

Hey there! I hope your chicken stays friendly! The one tip I have, even though it will be hard, is to hold her every day. It takes a lot of dedication, but I think it could definitely be done.

 

[DobieLover]

Please reply

Give it more than 3 minutes!

 

[Ryguy3684]

It's hard to tell. My hen that always hops up on my shoulder was like that from a young age, too. When she was 14 weeks, to the point of laying, she got distant, like the others. I chalked this up to the awkward teenage phase. Once she started laying, she settled right back to being my buddy. Out of the same flock, none of mine are unfriendly, but some are friendlier than others. Unfortunately, it varies bird to bird.

 

[Hanathehappyhen]

I have 3 chicks, one of them, called Kiwi, loves to jump onto my legs and get kisses and belly scratches. Everytime I put my hand in the brooder (to play or to change the water) she jumps on and tries to climb up to my shoulder. Will she stay this way? Will she lose interest in me? Will she be a tame chicken when she grows? I am hoping that she can be my special best friend, so we can cuddle and play even when she is older.

She might, my chicken Sukie loved being held just like yours, and almost three years later she still follows after me, and hops on my lap whenever she can. Your chick might get more distant, but I’ve found that if you keep spending time with them, they’ll stay attached. Other people are right though, she might be a rooster, and in that case there’s a good chance “she” won’t want to cuddle, and will be too busy with guarding the flock.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

here she is posing for a photo

 

[DobieLover]

Sorry but it's unlikely. And she may be a he.
When the hormones start flowing they change.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

I won't mind if she gets a bit distant but I hope she can still tolerate being held and maybe jumping on my lap