New Arrivals- 6 Week Old Wyandotte’s. Pullet’s or Roo’s? Also they are SO skittish help!

[SMV913]

Hi guys!
My family and I just picked up these 2 new babies to add to our flock. We were told they are 6 weeks old Silver Laced & Red Laced Wyandotte’s. Although I see hints of a blueish color as well in the one that is said to be the Red Laced. This is our first time with this breed. We have 6 other chickens all about 10-11 weeks old- 3 Silkies, 1 D’Uccle, 1 Barred Rock and 1 Orpington. We’ve raised those 6 as day old chicks and this is actually our first experience with chickens. All are doing amazingly well!
My question is... based off my photos of the two, do they appear to be pullets or possibly Roos? We were told they were pullets which is what we want. I’ve read it can sometimes be difficult to sex the Wyandottes Chicks although sometimes it’s also very noticeable with their waddles and combs. Our 2 seem to have rose combs that are slightly pinkish and they both have little waddles growing in as well.

Also, these poor babies are TERRIFIED of human contact. I could barely get close enough with my camera to take the photos. I had to zoom in to get decent ones. They are so fast and even flighty. If you come even so much as a foot close with your hand they go nuts. They obviously at 6 weeks have not had very much human interaction if any which makes me feel so sad and worried that they won’t adjust well with us. Our other 6 have been held since day 1 so I can see a difference. Any advice on how to calm these babies down? I’m sure it will just take time for them to adjust and it is also their first day here so I’m sure they have been traumatized as well. Just hate seeing how frightened they are. Any ideas?

 

[21hens-incharge]

They are a bit young for gender guesses just yet. So far nothing screaming male.

Patience is key. They may have been handled. They just don't know you yet AND everything is scary when they are just moved.

Totally normal reaction to a new environment.

 

[Hufflefluff]

I'm sorry they're so skittish around you guys. Super cute chicks, though.
As for socializing, I'd probably try feeding them treats while letting them see you/ talk to them while not being too close for a little while per day at first, until they've come to associate the sound of your voice with food (and recognize that your hands in the brooder are mostly to place down treats like hard boiled egg or mealworms). What's your brooder setup like? I'm asking because it can freak out chicks if all they see of you is giantr hands reaching down from the sky- chickens are naturally wary of aerial predators, and mine have generally been calmer if they have some sort of transparent viewing window on the side of their box so they can see me approach.
After they get to a point where they're not freaking out about you hanging out and talking while they eat, I'd gradually move up to hand feeding- first by placing down treats or toys and then moving your hand to the other side of the brooder, and gradually coming closer until they'll eat out of your hand. Frustrating as it is, the best solutions for chicken taming- are generally ridiculous amounts of patience (which I, for one, struggle with- I just want to hold the dang fluffers! )
Anyway, from there it's just getting them more and more used to you being around them- once they're in the coop, seeing you bustling about and filling feeders without trying to handle them can help with trust, too.

Whatever you decide to do, I hope it works out well for you. Keep us posted!

 

[SMV913]

Thank you for your reassurance. I will take it day by day and hopefully they adjust well.
We had them outside with the others for about an hour after we brought them home to see how the others would do with them. A few of our originals were pecking at them but they still followed the originals around and try to hide behind them in the run. We brought them in to sleep together since I was worried what would happen if they were left right away with the others over night. Should I continue to slowly integrate them with the others?

 

[SMV913]

They are a bit young for gender guesses just yet. So far nothing screaming male.

Patience is key. They may have been handled. They just don't know you yet AND everything is scary when they are just moved.

Totally normal reaction to a new environment.

Sorry see above comment I just left.

 

[Hufflefluff]

Thank you for your reassurance. I will take it day by day and hopefully they adjust well.
We had them outside with the others for about an hour after we brought them home to see how the others would do with them. A few of our originals were pecking at them but they still followed the originals around and try to hide behind them in the run. We brought them in to sleep together since I was worried what would happen if they were left right away with the others over night. Should I continue to slowly integrate them with the others?

If it looks like it's going well, then my vote is yes. What are nighttime temps like where you are? It sounds like you've put quite a bit of thought into the integration process; as long as you know what you're doing and they're feathered enough to be outside full-time where you are then I don't see why you shouldn't. The only reason I can think of not to would be that it might make it a little more difficult to get them to interact with you, because they'll have stimulation and interaction from the other chickens- it all depends on your bond with the rest of the flock. In all honesty, having them see other chickens who trust and like you will probably make them more open to the whole idea. If you have any questions about integration, feel free to ask, but it seems like you have it under control

 

[21hens-incharge]

If it looks like it's going well, then my vote is yes. What are nighttime temps like where you are? It sounds like you've put quite a bit of thought into the integration process; as long as you know what you're doing and they're feathered enough to be outside full-time where you are then I don't see why you shouldn't. The only reason I can think of not to would be that it might make it a little more difficult to get them to interact with you, because they'll have stimulation and interaction from the other chickens- it all depends on your bond with the rest of the flock. In all honesty, having them see other chickens who trust and like you will probably make them more open to the whole idea. If you have any questions about integration, feel free to ask, but it seems like you have it under control

^^^this^^^

 

[SMV913]

If it looks like it's going well, then my vote is yes. What are nighttime temps like where you are? It sounds like you've put quite a bit of thought into the integration process; as long as you know what you're doing and they're feathered enough to be outside full-time where you are then I don't see why you shouldn't. The only reason I can think of not to would be that it might make it a little more difficult to get them to interact with you, because they'll have stimulation and interaction from the other chickens- it all depends on your bond with the rest of the flock. In all honesty, having them see other chickens who trust and like you will probably make them more open to the whole idea. If you have any questions about integration, feel free to ask, but it seems like you have it under control

Thank you! Nighttime temps have been around 40 degrees at the lowest give or take and our 6 have been doing fine. This is actually their 3rd night sleeping out in the coop together. Some of our 10 week old bantam silkies are about the same size as the 6 week old Wyandotte’s and they’ve adjusted great to the weather.
Our brooder consists of two large Rubbermaid tubs that we connected together through a tunnel for extra room. Unfortunately they aren’t clear, they are black in color so the only view they have of people is up above. I’ll definitely try some of your tricks with treats to see how they do.
As far as integrating, I’ll just have to see how that goes. I may just keep them separate for a few days or a week so they get used to the humans first and then start letting them back in with the others during the day.
I will definitely keep you updated Thank you again for all your advice!

 

[Teila]

You might also find this previous discussion helpful:
Topic of the Week - Raising People Friendly Poultry

Best Wishes and Good luck!

 

[Bhapimama]

I'm no expert by any means, but I thought I'd mention that we have a Wyandotte and she is by far, the most skittish of our flock of four. Always has been and we got all four at 1-2 days old and handled all of them a lot! She's beautiful but very shy around the humans. Our Barred Rock is the most loveable.