Making friends with your babies

[ILoveJoe]

I am a total newbie with chickens. A co-worker gave me a rooster named Hoss on the 11th of June and he lives in a hutch type arrangement, out during the day ranging in the fenced in backyard and he puts himself to bed around 7ish. He then gets locked in for the night. He is an easy keeper, he does crow alot, but I enjoy it. Luckily I don't have close neighbors that it would bother.

I bought 21 pullets from a hatchery and have them brooding under a red lamp in a large rubbermaid container, they are almost 1 week old. They are a mix of black australorp, barred rocks, araucanas, buff orpingtons, light brahmas and silver and golden laced wyandottes.

I have noticed that 2 of the barred rocks will rush over to my hand and peck me in what seems to be an aggressive manner. Is there anyway to discourage that type of pecking? I can imagine when they are grown that is going to hurt quite a bit!

 

[Reinbeau]

Yea, my barred rocks are the most aggressive with their pecking, but not all the time. Especially when they're standing on my arms, they love to peck my freckles and moles, and it hurts! When I see them eyeing one I blow sharply at them and say "No!" and they stop. They are trainable, you just have to be consistent yet calm when correcting them.

 

[ILoveJoe]

Thanks for the tip. Only 2 out of my 3 BR's are peckish.
When can you start giving them treats and what types of items are considered treats?

 

[Reinbeau]

Well, I'm way ahead of everyone else in the treat department, I guess, but so far I haven't had any problems. I started giving them some white millet when they were 10 days old. They loved it! Bits of sunflower seed, too (not the ones in the shell, but chopped up bits). I've also given them little seedlings of weeds, mostly pigweed, that seems to be their favorite, and thinnings from my swiss chard. All has been received enthusiastically! They especially like it when I hold the pigweed upside down, they all jump and nip at it like little demons! But they only nip me by mistake, and it doesn't hurt all that much.....yet! After they've taken all I have to give they'll start flying up onto my arms and walk around. Not all of them will let me pat them, but they're content to stay up there and I coo and talk to them. Frecklel-pecking will get them tossed (actually gently put down), though, it hurts!

My theory on the treats is that if they were with their mother hen they'd be pecking around out there practically from hatching. Mine are four weeks old today and seem to be thriving.

 

[mylittlehof]

I have had my 5 ladies for a week now - 3 buff orp and 2 red star. From out of the box, I and my kids have held them all daily usually would pick them up and cuddle them until they settled down and some would close their eyes and snooze a bit while I held them. I was always pretty much at their level, as I have a dog crate and would sit beside the door to open it and handle them. The Buff Orps now rush the door and jump all over my hands and push up against me. The Red Stars are more stand offish, but I chase them down anyway. I want to be able to clip their wings and handle them when they get bigger. I haven't had to use treats, but it is good to know that I can at this age. I clipped some grass and weeds and they played chick keepaway and ate most of it. They also try to catch flying bugs in the crate (it is outside). They are funny when they spy one, it is like they immediately drop what they are doing, go still and get serious. Serious business catching those bugs!