Making friends with my hens

[so lucky]

Being a newbie chicken parent, I had hoped my 6 mixed chicks would be calm and enjoy being held. At about 7 to 8 weeks old, 3 chicks stand still and allow me to pick them up by placing my hand under their chest, from the front, and lifting their body gently, feet dangling. Two of them I have to kind of surprize, pick up from the top, pinning their wings to their body. My biggest one, a white Plymouth Rock (who looks and acts suspiciously like a roo) has a fit, fighting and flapping when I pick her up. She is also nearly impossible to put back into their "brooder" after free-ranging for a while in my basement every evening. (Outside coop not finished yet!) This evening she fought me when I tried to hold and pet her, but I kept her on my lap, with her giving me the stink-eye all the while, to let her know I was the one in control. Then when I had to catch her to put her to bed, she had a royal fit. I held her upside down by her feet for maybe 15 seconds, till she was calm. She remained calm after I turned her right-side-up, and then put her in the pen with the others. She weighs about twice as much as the others, and is the flock leader. I don't know if I did the right thing or not, but I felt she and the other chicks needed to know I am the boss. I was gentle, but I really felt like wringing her neck! I almost hope "she" does turn out to be a "he"--that will give me the excuse to send her to freezer camp. I am totally amazed at the difference in personalities of these girls.

 

[Konza]

Mine aren't real thrilled about being picked up until I manage to get my hand under their feet. Then they don't mind so much. Once I give them a little perch, they'll stay there on their own (and examine my face until I'm afraid they're going to try to taste my eyeball). Kittens are the same way. It's a very tolerant cat that will let you pick it up while its legs dangle. Being in the air probably isn't so scary if you've at least got something to stand on.

Getting them when they're half asleep helps, too.

 

[GreatlyAwake]

I really think that it's a breed thing. We just got started with 10 Austrolorpes and 10 Orpingtons. I chose the Austrolorpes because, to me, they seemed like an "industrial strength" breed. My wife chose Orpingtons because they are pretty and also great egg producers.

Both breeds are high rates of egg production, but an Austrolrpe holds the record (364/year)! I was disappointed to find that not only are the Orpingtons friendlier, they seem to be more intelligent than the Austrolorpes.

These chickens are all 6 weeks old. When I enter the run, the neediest chicken in the world (Penny) runs to me and wants to be picked up and held. We're in the process of training them to return to the coop at night. The Austrolorpes huddle together next to the ramp from the run to the coop. I don't think that they're cold, I think that they now that night is a dangerous time to be a chicken, but they haven't figured out that going into the coop is the "safe thing". The Orpingtons figured that out quickly.

Here's where the problem comes in. When I show up and started placing the Austrolorpes into the coop one at a time, the Orpingtons (Penny leading the way) run out of the coop to greet me and demand (by pecking at my shoes) to be picked up and petted. At first, penny was the only one, and I had to hold her in one hand while I loaded the Australorpes, one at a time, into the coop so that I wouldn't step on her. Now, all 10 Orpingtons come out for their "good night petting session". The Australorps are curious and will gather around me, but cluck and back away when I offer a hand to pick them up. As soon as one of the Orpingtons sees the hand, they will pull themselves over it in order to be picked up.

I won't stop trying to make friends with the Australorpes. Hopefully, they won't fear me as they seem to now. The Orpingtons caught on, right away, that I'm the guy with the bag of worms or the handfuls of garden greens and grape leaves that they love as a treat.