my 2 week old chicks are terrified of me :(( -help

[KJzCola]

I have 5 baby chickens (2 EEs, 1 barred PR, 1 RH Red, and 1 Wellsummer) they are two weeks old and thriving wonderfully in my brooder. They are beautiful and smart. I've done my best to handel them gently when I pick them up,and have even tryed "bonding time" of sorts where I just hold them gently in my lap and pet their heads to try to get them to fall asleep. I had one get pasty butt the first day I had them, and so I was actively checking butts a couple times a day for the first week. They are two weeks old now and scatter and scream every time in reach into the brooder, weather it be to deliver food, adjust bedding, or pet one.

Is there anything that I can do to encourage friendly bonding!? I've read that many hens are excited to be loved pets and happy for attention and feeding. This is my first time owning chickens, so not really sure how to handle this, or if it's just something that they will grow into.

Thank you!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I have 5 baby chickens (2 EEs, 1 barred PR, 1 RH Red, and 1 Wellsummer) they are two weeks old and thriving wonderfully in my brooder. They are beautiful and smart. I've done my best to handel them gently when I pick them up,and have even tryed "bonding time" of sorts where I just hold them gently in my lap and pet their heads to try to get them to fall asleep. I had one get pasty butt the first day I had them, and so I was actively checking butts a couple times a day for the first week. They are two weeks old now and scatter and scream every time in reach into the brooder, weather it be to deliver food, adjust bedding, or pet one.

Is there anything that I can do to encourage friendly bonding!? I've read that many hens are excited to be loved pets and happy for attention and feeding. This is my first time owning chickens, so not really sure how to handle this, or if it's just something that they will grow into.

Thank you!

Think of it from a chick's perspective - when your hand descends down into the brooder it is coming in from above much like an aerial predator comes down on chickens outside -- that is what they see you as at that point, a predator. This perception is not helped if/when you then set about trying to catch the chicks as you only affirm to them that your hand is, indeed, a predator come to catch them.

One thing you can do to make the hand seem less threatening is to move from the side/below as much as possible. Put your hand into the brooder but then stop - let it just be there. If you must move it, make your moves laterally vs. vertically, but try make a point to go in when you can spend time with your hand in their space just laying there so that they can have time to get over the initial freakout and start to feel curious about it.. ..if/when they begin to approach it, step on it, peck at it DO NOT MOVE. The temptation is to snatch them up, pet them, etc. as they get close - but this will only confirm to them that the hand is a trap and should be feared. Chickens are a prey animal, so they are quite reactive to a perceived threat - but they are also very curious creatures, you just have to allow them time to get to the curious part.

When you are in the room with the brooder talk, sing, read aloud - let your voice become familiar to them.

If at all possible, interact with them in ways that allow you to be on their level vs. always reaching into the brooder - take them out and let them have a chance to explore a bigger area where you are able to sit with them. Again, like with the hand exercise, just be there - let them approach and explore you but do not react when they do so. This is a great time for the reading aloud as it gives you something to do other than stare at them like a hungry cat and it helps expose them to your voice.

There is some good information on socializing chicks up in the learning center.

 

[jlmissouri]

You might not be able to do this but we have noticed chicks that are raised at eye level are tame compared to others. We first noticed this when we put some chicks in a tall rabbit hutch, and it was again tested with quail when they were put in a tall cage. I have a lot of theories why, but don't have any facts. It does work though and has given me some mild mannered chickens and quail. The top of the cage is about level with the top of my head.

 

[liaanne17]

How many times a day do you handle them? Chicks can get very stressed out if you hold them to much in one day on average you should hold them no more than 4-5 times a day. Try sitting by the brooder to let them get used to you. Hope this helps

 

[esme13]

The way I do it is take one at a time for 10 mins a day and put them on a towel on my lap. I usually do it in the evening because they are tired and less needy of one another. I also will lay my hand at the bottom of their tub every day and approach them very slowly. Even if they run away, I do make sure they get a pet and know that I am not trying to hurt them. Some chicks also are more friendly then others. And then of course when you have a group they do copy each other.

 

[azygous]

Like Grey Mare says, it's HOW you're handling them, not how much you handle them.

You'll notice a huge difference if you switch to a side access brooder and approach the chicks from the side, never from above.

To get an even bigger improvement, ditch the brooder completely, move them into their coop, and sit down on the ground with your chicks, letting them crawl onto your lap and legs and arms and shoulders. You want tame, friendly chicks? That's how you get them.

 

[ChickenMammX4]

I found our chicks were a lot less skittish after they were moved to the coop. Whenn I went in they were usually on the roost or edge of the poop board which is about chest-height. They allow me to reach out, pet them and eat from my hand. When they were in the tub in the house they would scatter as I reached down for them.

 

[CoopedUpChicken]

Here's what I learned. I'm just a newbie myself! I got my first flock this year.

There are a couple that were completely skittish and apparently always will be.

The others... it helped to not pick them up every time I went to check on them. I would try to check for pasty butt by sight instead of picking them up. What I did was to just let my arm dangle there in the brooder as kind of a "perch" for them to jump up onto.

After a couple of minutes they would get curious about my arm and hand, and maybe peck at it a little. After a few days of doing this about 1-2 times a day (not picking them up unless absolutely necessary) the first one jumped up on my arm. I was VERY careful not to pet her or scare her and just let her jump on and off my arm.

Then, after a few days of the first one doing the arm jumping.... when she now jumped on my arm, I would slowly move my arm up to my eye level so she could see my face - talk to her a little and then gently move my arm back down and let her jump off. I wouldn't try to handle her.

Over the next week, the others, seeing that she could do this safely - started following her lead and then wanting to jump on my arm too. I would repeat the above with each bird as they became brave enough to jump onto my arm.

After a couple of weeks of this arm training - then I would start to bring my arm to my chest with the bird on it and then use my other hand to pet it. Each one would resist at first, but I would force the issue for no longer than a minute with whoever would climb on my arm - and then put each one back gently by lowering my arm back down. Then, they eventually learned to like the petting.


I noticed that when they were about 3-4 weeks old - each bird one by one started to "notice" me. They would look at me when I walked into the room and kind of eye me up and trying to figure out what I was. Their curiosity about me grew substantially. The more reluctant ones started to jump on my arm at that age.

I still have a couple that won't go near me, but now that they are 6.5 weeks old and in their coop - most of them come running to me when I go to the coop and run. I will park a chair in the run and sit there - and most of them will jump up to me and want to be petted. The ones higher up on the pecking order always get first dibs and then when they are done the lower pecking order hens get their turn. I'll have six birds on me at once (shoulders and lap).

I'm thinking I need to get some safety glasses because I'm worried about eye pecking

 

[rainyvillarreal]

I recommend slowly putting your hand in the brooder and possibly letting them peck food out of your hand. Take the feeder out while you do this. This made my chicks love seeing my hand come in! They even fell asleep on my hand if I was patient enough. It takes a lot of patience and a lot of time. They'll be more relaxed when they're in the coop outside too.

 

[KJzCola]

I have 5 baby chickens (2 EEs, 1 barred PR, 1 RH Red, and 1 Wellsummer) they are two weeks old and thriving wonderfully in my brooder. They are beautiful and smart. I've done my best to handel them gently when I pick them up,and have even tryed "bonding time" of sorts where I just hold them gently in my lap and pet their heads to try to get them to fall asleep. I had one get pasty butt the first day I had them, and so I was actively checking butts a couple times a day for the first week. They are two weeks old now and scatter and scream every time in reach into the brooder, weather it be to deliver food, adjust bedding, or pet one.


Is there anything that I can do to encourage friendly bonding!? I've read that many hens are excited to be loved pets and happy for attention and feeding. This is my first time owning chickens, so not really sure how to handle this, or if it's just something that they will grow into.


Thank you!

Think of it from a chick's perspective - when your hand descends down into the brooder it is coming in from above much like an aerial predator comes down on chickens outside -- that is what they see you as at that point, a predator.  This perception is not helped if/when you then set about trying to catch the chicks as you only affirm to them that your hand is, indeed, a predator come to catch them. 

One thing you can do to make the hand seem less threatening is to move from the side/below as much as possible.  Put your hand into the brooder but then stop - let it just be there.  If you must move it, make your moves laterally vs. vertically, but try make a point to go in when you can spend time with your hand in their space just laying there so that they can have time to get over the initial freakout and start to feel curious about it.. ..if/when they begin to approach it, step on it, peck at it DO NOT MOVE.  The temptation is to snatch them up, pet them, etc. as they get close - but this will only confirm to them that the hand is a trap and should be feared.  Chickens are a prey animal, so they are quite reactive to a perceived threat - but they are also very curious creatures, you just have to allow them time to get to the curious part.

When you are in the room with the brooder talk, sing, read aloud - let your voice become familiar to them. 

If at all possible, interact with them in ways that allow you to be on their level vs. always reaching into the brooder - take them out and let them have a chance to explore a bigger area where you are able to sit with them.  Again, like with the hand exercise, just be there - let them approach and explore you but do not react when they do so.  This is a great time for the reading aloud as it gives you something to do other than stare at them like a hungry cat and it helps expose them to your voice. 

There is some good information on socializing chicks up in the learning center. 

Hey thanks for the reply. My brooder is a kiddy pool, with wire cage around it with a portion that pulls ba k for access, so the good thing is that I'm already coming in from the side and along the bottom of the brooder floor. But I like the approach of letting them get used to my voice, and letting them explore me on their own terms. The broofer is in the basement, too many small spaces for them to dissapear into to let them out. I don't really want them in the house for the same reason plus I don't care for poop on the floors. Do you have any suggestions of where I can put them with me and that the will be safe too? And I won't have to grab them because they are going somewhere unsafe?

Thanks again!
-KJ