My Chickies Hate Me!!

[damien]

my chicks love my boy and run from me :|

 

[harveyhorses]

Treats. These are my first chicks too, and for the first week they fled like I was the Source of All Evil. Hurt my feelings, I picked them up and cuddled them anyway Then my hand became The Source of Our TREATS. Just lettuce, and green stuff, they still think yogurt is poison. I found once they stop struggling, they will perch on my hand for ages. They will be movoing to the coop this weekend. Maybe... Or maybe my bedroom...

they have reached a very sweet stage, almost fully feathered (I think they were not two weeks like I was told, because they should be completly feathered out) and they like sitting on my hand and being carried around.

as long as I am not HOLDING them. Good luck!! Chickie love is worth it.

 

[HennyJenny]

Imagine if you were in your house with no roof and a gigantic hand chased you around - you would run! We are big ! I was discussing this with my kids last night - "What does that little chicky see from his level?" "How crazy would that be?" Once you get one and pick him and love him up - he will go back in and tell his friends all about it. But the big hand coming out of the sky is always a little scary. My one year old girls know that when my hand comes toward them I am going to pet them or pick them up. The babies don't know to expect this and they run every time! They will like you! It just takes a little time! My bigger girl brooder opens from the side so that they can see me coming - but in the brooder box they don't know I'm there until the big hand reaches in. In a few months they will come running when they see you!

Last night I was sitting on the back steps and Missy jumped up into my lap and sat for about 10 minutes! It will happen when you least expect it!

 

[Want Less]

We have 3 RIRs and 3 black sex links and they will all be 2 weeks old this weekend. The RIR chicks run away and peep like they are going to die when we pick them up, but the black sex links dont... in fact sometimes you can nearly call them right into your hand. I'm hoping the RIRs settle down and start being a little more "social" with us... wondering if spending extra time with them every day might help. Can't hurt I guess! So don't worry... you're not alone

 

[Manda0227]

I am also new to chickens, but I think I can figure this out. Mine are almost a week old, they too ran away, for the first few days. However, where I have mine, they are in an active area- and between myself, my fiance, and my sister. They area always around people. We will just put our hands in, and they'll sit in our palms, and perch on our fingers. Some even fall asleep if its late enough at night. I think they key with it, as with any animal, is to let them get used to you. Even if you don't touch, just put your hand in and let them come to you. I put some feed on my hand to get them interested! Then just handle them, little by little. Mine still peep while we hold 'em! Is there such thing as happy peeping?

 

[serendipityfarm]

OK, so aside from lettuce, what do you feed your babies to entice them. I tried some starter feed in my palm, and they will come and peck it eventually (and by then my arm is limp & dead in the brooder) but they get enough of that all the time so they aren't really excited about it. I have read if they get a little fine grit, then treats are OK. I thought about worms, but then read about the earthworm carrying nematode larvae... we don't want that. They are pecking EVERYTHING around them, including their little dried poops, so I think they are primed to find something they LOVE. Any suggestions???

 

[NWChicks]

Mine turn into velociraptors for spinach! Seriously, they go absolutely bonkers for it! Try tearing it into small pieces and feeding one piece at a time. That's what I did with mine and if they even hear my voice they come running toward the sound. I have another batch that I feed kefir or yogurt mixed into their chick crumbles and they go nuts too. I don't hold that in my hand much because it's messy but they let me pet them while they're eating it. They also like flax seed and since I have a grain grinder I roughly ground several types of grain into a coarse cereal and feed that from my hand. I only do that for a minute or two they because they get so excited they start getting my fingers and since they're getting bigger it hurts now!

I do second the notion that they don't like the gigantic hand dropping out of the sky. When I go in slowly from the side they are much calmer. If you're not feeding treats just let your hand sit there for a minute or two before trying to touch one of them. I don't always give a treat because I want them to be ok with me even if I don't have food. Once they start ignoring my hand I slowly start petting them. Mine are about 7 weeks old now and one will come over and push the others out of the way to get petted.

 

[bantybev]

Quote:
Mine LOVE hard boiled egg, mashed fine with a fork. They run to me whenever I put my hand in the brooder in hopes of the special treat now. I have been told grit is not needed for feeding them egg.

 

[serendipityfarm]

Great! I was thinking boiled egg. We'll try that and see how they like it.