My chickens don’t like when I pick them up

[Ljorgie77]

Don’t understand why my chicken don’t like when I pick them up. My girls are 21 weeks old I’m a new chicken owner .
Also when they see me walking to the coop they make a noise not sure what it is if they are happy or afraid . They don’t run away from me they walk towards me. It’s doesn’t sound like a happy noise.

 

[ChickNanny13]

When you try to pick them up, they're chickens so you're the predator. Spend some time sitting (step stool) in their coop with them. Hand feed them some treats and be patient, don't chase them, let them come to you.

Mine will come running when they see me, I can sit with them & they'll come right up to me. I can pet one (have only 4), the rest are coming around and it's been 4+ months. I can catch them (monthly checks & maintenance) after a small chase but once caught they settle down while I do what I need to; checking feet, toes, nails, beak, feathering & dusting).

I've read how some are "lap" chickens but I'm sure those members spend ALOT of time with their chickens. Alot depends on the breed and individual chickens too, just like people and other animals.

 

[TwentyOneChickens]

Don’t understand why my chicken don’t like when I pick them up. My girls are 21 weeks old I’m a new chicken owner .
Also when they see me walking to the coop they make a noise not sure what it is if they are happy or afraid . They don’t run away from me they walk towards me. It’s doesn’t sound like a happy noise.

Just spend time with them. That’s what worked for me, and they became tame much older.

Try sitting with them in the coop or run. Let them get acclimated.

edit: I will share a short story with you from what happened today - I went a few days without seeing my girls (parents took care of them) and when I visited them today, they flew over the fence to see me!

 

[Ljorgie77]

When you try to pick them up, they're chickens so you're the predator. Spend some time sitting (step stool) in their coop with them. Hand feed them some treats and be patient, don't chase them, let them come to you.

Mine will come running when they see me, I can sit with them & they'll come right up to me. I can pet one (have only 4), the rest are coming around and it's been 4+ months. I can catch them (monthly checks & maintenance) after a small chase but once caught they settle down while I do what I need to; checking feet, toes, nails, beak, feathering & dusting).

I've read how some are "lap" chickens but I'm sure those members spend ALOT of time with their chickens. Alot depends on the breed and individual chickens too, just like people and other animals.

Thank you ..
They run up to me and make noises but when I go to pet them they move away. I do sit with them not as much as I should . Thanks again

 

[Ljorgie77]

Just spend time with them. That’s what worked for me, and they became tame much older.

Try sitting with them in the coop or run. Let them get acclimated.

edit: I will share a short story with you from what happened today - I went a few days without seeing my girls (parents took care of them) and when I visited them today, they flew over the fence to see me!

Thank you

 

[gtaus]

they flew over the fence to see me!

Chickens are sneaky. I had one chicken that played up to me, hopping up on the ledge and wanting me to pet her, and I thought everything was great until she lead a great escape and before I knew it I had 4 chickens running free in the yard!

Although your chickens may have flown over the fence to see you, it's also possible they are planning an escape if/when you let your guard down!

 

[TwentyOneChickens]

Chickens are sneaky. I had one chicken that played up to me, hopping up on the ledge and wanting me to pet her, and I thought everything was great until she lead a great escape and before I knew it I had 4 chickens running free in the yard!

Although your chickens may have flown over the fence to see you, it's also possible they are planning an escape if/when you let your guard down!

Yes, that is indeed true! I have seen them come and go over the fence as they please, but it’s no big deal. I let them free range almost every day, and when they escape (maybe once every 4 months) I get them back inside soon.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

My flock of five pullets are almost 23 weeks old. They go through phases of liking to be held and not liking it. I believe that it can be uncomfortable, possibly painful to be held when going through a molt so that can be one thing. I noticed that my Buff Orpington isn't losing feathers like crazy anymore and she is starting to not scream when picked up. My daughter is the main offender when it comes to her needing to hold them and in her mind, holding is loving. I try to spend as much time as possible with them in their run sitting or just hanging out and sharing treats. My girls LOVE raisins and go crazy for them (I could probably train them to do tricks for them but I'm happy with them giving me eggs and being awesome). My 2 Barred Rocks will fly up and one will actually land on my shoulder and sit there waiting for her treat. Just be patient and go with whatever they're good with day to day. Pullets have so much going on with all of the chicken stuff (pecking order, molt, etc) as well as figuring out the egg laying thing. I wish you nothing but the very best.
I should also add that my 2 SLWyandotte's just aren't girls that enjoy being held, neither one of them. The only difference between their dislike of being held is that one of them hates it more than the other. They're not mean at all. They just don't like it

 

[gtaus]

Don’t understand why my chicken don’t like when I pick them up. My girls are 21 weeks old I’m a new chicken owner .
Also when they see me walking to the coop they make a noise not sure what it is if they are happy or afraid . They don’t run away from me they walk towards me. It’s doesn’t sound like a happy noise.

I have 10 chickens. Only 1 "seems" to like being picked up and petted by me. The others stay away from me unless I have food in hand to feed them. From what I understand, it takes time and patience to get the chickens to trust you enough to be lap hens. Personally, I don't want my chickens that friendly to people as not everyone should be trusted. I appreciate the chickens flight instincts as humans should probably be seen as predators. Heck, my chickens are afraid of the snow.....

 

[rosemarythyme]

I expect mine to tolerate some amount of handling (as it makes things far easier if you need to treat them medically, do health checks, or just move them around) but some chickens do not enjoy being handled or may only tolerate certain types of handling. Of my 7 birds, one will actually come up and wait to be picked up. Another follows me around persistently, but does not want to be touched. The rest will sometimes follow me around and not actively run away, but still keep some amount of distance, even if only a few inches to a few feet - since they're usually within arm's reach I can grab them and pick them up if needed.