My chicks have become flighty

[sourland]

It sounds as if it is time for them to move to the 'Big coop' . As prey animals being caught is generally stressful to fowl. Have them come to you for treats.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

It sounds as if it is time for them to move to the 'Big coop' . As prey animals being caught is generally stressful to fowl. Have them come to you for treats.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I agree with this no matter what animal it is. A dog, IMO, does not roll over because it wants its belly rubbed .. dogs don't rub each other's bellies! It rolls over to beg for mercy, to show submission; it's essentially a fear posture. Cats don't pick each other up. More than we do, we need to enter into the animals' minds and understand what they are thinking and feeling, and respect that. I don't pick up any animal unless I absolutely have to.

 

[Henriettamom919]

Put a screen over the top of the brooder so you don’t need to catch them. Chicks go threw a everything is going to kill me phase most of the time anyway.

Yes to all of this. Our four babies went from sleeping on us to acting like we were in the middle of the apocalypse every time I went to pick one up/feed them/ looked at them sideways

Now at 10-12 weeks they literally fly up onto my head and shoulders when I go outside to visit them They still HATE being picked up but will willingly come to me. They'll mellow as they grow. My three laying girls nap on me, let me clean their beaks, feathers, etc.

 

[mixedbreeds]

Yes you have already done what you coul for taming now you will probably need to wait till point of lay at 16 to 20 weeks then they change and want to be near you but there are some in a flock that just never do. I have a few hens that are still sure I am the devil, the rest I can pick up or at least pet a little bit they do follow me.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

I hope it is just a phase....I would like to let them free range when I'm out gardening but I can't do that if i cant get them back in their coop before they wanna go

Don’t let them free range until an hour or two before the sun goes down, that’s what I do and they just go in by themselves. You definitely don’t want to be chasing around chickens, LOL!

 

[Mrssak11]

It is possible to train your chicks to come running for treats, like rattling a can with a bit of scratch, once they learn you use that can for their treat.
This is what I did when I needed to get the girls back in their run before they would naturally return on their own for bed.
Also, when you start letting them out, only do it just about an hour or so before their bed time. They will go back in on their own. (After, as Anime2lover said, they learn that their coop is their home.)

They do this now in the brooder I shake a bag of meal worms and they come running! Lol but when I take them out in a nice day for some outside time they arent interested in the mealworms they want to roam! Lol

 

[Mybackyardpeepers]

I always talk to my chicks from the day I get them and use "here chick, chick" a lot. So when I go to do anything in the brooder I repeat that while I do it so they know it's me. Seems to help mine, but yes they all learn they have wings fast.

 

[Judy Todd]

Hello everyone! I'm a newbie at chickens....I have 6 babies I got on mothers day...no sure how old they were (apparently I had to ask that day...oops) but i wanted them to be friendly so took the suggestion of giving them meal worms...they LOVE them! Almost take my finger off lol but they were cool with me sat on me and everything but they jump out of their brooder when I go to fill their food and i have to "catch" them to get them back in the brooder....this has made them more and more flighty everyday...anything I can do to make them less scared of this? I dont want to snuggle or anything I just want to make it easier to catch them if they get out or have an injury I need to check....suggestions?

I start training mine at 3 weeks or less, to come to some scattered corn and my voice calling (here chick, chick, chick) I know I sound like an idiot, but it works. By the time they are 5 weeks ,they come running from their separate pen when they hear me. Then , when you are ready to intigrate them with the big girls, there is not such a problem getting them all corraled up any time you want.

 

[mosander]

Oh, my. This is easier with older chickens! If they are free ranging, and I need them in, they get a treat (pasta or bread) in the pm and they all come running. I have 3 month old pullets in an 8 x 10 ' roofed coop with no floor. Every 3-4 days we move it to new grass. It is very secure and the flock of 24 Isa Brown hens. It has been a slow process trying not to run over any birds. Previously, I would remove 1/2 but one still had to move slowly so as not to run over any feet. My husbands says, "Why don't we let them all out and they will follow their coop." LOL. I knew better than tell him that was not going to work very well. So we let them all out. My guinea rooster Thelma (don't ask) ran at some of the group adding to the "dispersement". We stopped moving the pen and chicken rodeo began. They were everywhere. A few saw the pen and ran in. The rest formed satelite groups. We invited our 2 chicken round up dogs out. Don had the net. Many were glad to see me and let me just pick them up. They went next door, and into our squash garden - great fun for our 30 pound cattle dog. Then Don says, "I think they are all in" - just as I found a group of 5. So how many do we have, Don? "I counted them" he says. So how many is that? He says "how many is it supposed to be?" It took 45 minutes. It is hard to count that many birds are in because they are all moving all the time. An hour later we discovered one pullet at the gate of the main pen asking to join them as it was getting dark. We won't be doing that again! I can't wait for the shift at 4 months into the main pen!