My chicks are scared to death of me

[marcomercer]

I got some chicks that were already about 5 days old when I got them, then I added 2 more that was about 3 weeks old, they are all so scared of me. I will sit with them, put my hand in the cage, and they run from my hand. What do I do. I am new to all of this.

 

[CedarAcres]

Bribe them with food! I would hand feed mine, so they would have to come close to get the food. One of their favorites as chicks was mashed hard boiled egg. It gets them used to being around you and not seeing you as something to fear if they associate you with yummy things.

 

[creepygothnursi]

This is probably not good news to you, but mine never did stop that. We tried to hand feed them, they ran away screaming. Whenever we picked them up, they would screech and scream and kick no matter how often we handled them. We finally just gave up trying to make them friendly and let them do their thing, and oddly that seemed to settle them a bit. They still won't let me pet them but they don't go insane every time I get within ten feet any more. I think it is a bit of a breed thing? Ours are EEs, I know not all breeds are like that.

That said, it sounds like you're doing the right things. I agree that food will help bring them around, ours were just hard cases. Ours love banana and dried mealworms, mashed hardboiled eggs are good for the littles also.

 

[silkiechicken]

You can even tame leghorn down with food. LOL. Mine like bird seed. First get them to like eating the seed, then get them to eat it out of your hand. After they realize seed tastes good, and it can be had from your hand... every hour or so after work till bed time, for the first month... I stick my hand in the brooder and yell "CHICKENS!!!" and present the seed for like 30 seconds for them to eat, then take the hand away. Repeat the cycle of "CHICKENS!!!" and food arrival and departure a dozen times or so per trip to the brooder... at worst this makes them come running as adults when you've conditioned them to associate "CHICKENS!" with food. LOL


Good luck! It just takes time, time most adults don't have.

 

[azygous]

Most people make the mistake with chicks in reaching down for them from above. I figured this out years ago after raising a batch of Wyandotte chicks in a cardboard box brooder on the floor. They would run screeching from me every time I reached in for them. It got worse as time went by. They grew up detesting being touched.

I forget what exactly made the light go on in my brain, but all of my subsequent chicks have been raised in elevated brooders with side access. They see all of me as being part of the hands reaching for them instead of some scary predator diving at them from above, which is programmed into their DNA.

How you approach chicks, as well as adult chickens, is far more important than bribing them with food. Any chicken will be much more agreeable to being handled when approached slowly from the side.

 

[marcomercer]

Well I am feeling good tonight, I have made progress with my chicks, I got my two oldest ones to eat a few bits of bird seed out of my hand, and another one I picked up, and ofcourse she squawked and acted like I was going to eat her. But once I petted her a bit she calmed down, and then after I set her down in the cage, she let me pet her some more. She was more on her own turf which tells me she is getting used to me being around. I had my hand in the cage with seed on it, and the chicks were going all around my hand so they wasn't scared of it being there. But again only the two ate out of my hand, but that's an achievement.

Now my Guinea Keets are a different story. If they even see anyone they flip out, they don't have to be anywhere near the cage. You try and pick one up and they peck at your hand.

 

[av8torcrj]

What breed have you got? I've got a collection of mixed bantams and am finding some definite variation in breeds and their acceptance/ liking of handling . The Cochins in particular don't mind and seem to like it. My silkies are still a little spazzo but the food bribe is working. I wouldn't hold too much hope for establishing a long term endearing relationship with the guineas. In my experience those loud mouths never really warm up. Hope yours are different.

 

[KelsiNS]

My birds were older than yours- i pick them up and pet them each for roughly 30 seconds at a time. They're pretty accustomed to it now, it just took being gentle so they know im just some crazy lady that makes kissy noises and not a predator.

 

[marcomercer]

I have a variety of breeds. right now I have 12 chicks, 2 Partridge Silkies, 2 black marans, 1 golden salmon maran, 2 blond salmon marans, all of these were born around june 16th, then I have 1 ameraucauna and a mix production red with a silver laced wyandott that were born around memorial day, then I have 3 buff orpingtons born around june 24th. They are all still fairly small. the two oldest ones are double the size of the others, But the ameraucauna acts as the momma its so funny. She makes sure the rest are all ok. But the 2 I have made progress with are the ameraucauna, the mixed one, and one of the black marans.

 

[KelsiNS]

My BA are the two friendliest in terms of being handled, but my youngest Red is like a puppy, she follows me everywhere. My older Reds are nuts-you CATCH them and then they are okay with being carried. All of mine are easier to handle at dusk for some reason.