new flock not socializing

[pintail_drake2004]

So, my replacement flock of chickens is 11 weeks old. My wife and I have been working with them since we got them to socialize and get them friendly. They absolutely refuse to come when called, and still act frightened when I walk into their coop. IDK what else I can do? For weeks, when I go into their pen, I take a handful of meal worms and holler "chick chick chick" like I did with my other birds. The other flock comes easily when called. This has made our life easier, especially if I need to put them up quickly. These new birds are super stubborn. I figured by 11 weeks, they would be somewhat use to us by now!

 

[Acre4Me]

They are prey animals and hard wired to avoid predators. You are big! I’ve found that chickens naturally get friendlier closer to point of lay (POL). Also, some breeds are naturally more skittish or less friendly than others. Are these the same breeds as last flock?

 

[N F C]

I think some birds are just more people friendly than others. In my little flock of 5, only 2 of them will come close to me and the other 3 are more skittish. This flock will be 3 years old in April.

It doesn't bother me that some are more standoffish, it's just their nature.

 

[azygous]

They may be a skittish breed. Some breeds are naturally stand-offish.

Try getting down on their level. Find a comfortable cushion and plant your butt on the ground. If they know what meal worms are, hold them in your lap. If they aren't gung-ho on meal worms, toss one into their midst. Give them time to get excited. Toss another closer to you. Use your verbal cue as you engage in this exercise.

Repeat this until they're coming up close and taking the meal worms from your hand. Do this next day with your verbal cue. Repeat this each day until you have them corrupted, I mean, trained.

 

[aart]

They are staying away from the older birds.
Can be much harder to 'tame' younger birds in a mixed age flock.
I'm assuming they are mixed with your older birds.

 

[N F C]

They may be a skittish breed. Some breeds are naturally stand-offish.

Try getting down on their level. Find a comfortable cushion and plant your butt on the ground. If they know what meal worms are, hold them in your lap. If they aren't gung-ho on meal worms, toss one into their midst. Give them time to get excited. Toss another closer to you. Use your verbal cue as you engage in this exercise.

Repeat this until they're coming up close and taking the meal worms from your hand. Do this next day with your verbal cue. Repeat this each day until you have them corrupted, I mean, trained.

"corrupted" I like that!

 

[Acre4Me]

They are staying away from the older birds.
Can be much harder to 'tame' younger birds in a mixed age flock.
I'm assuming they are mixed with your older birds.

OP indicates this is replacement flock -maybe all new birds (no old). But, you are right, if older birds present it does make the younger ones more skittish and wary, and they tend to hang in their little group of same-age chicks.

 

[pintail_drake2004]

I have 3 coops. these replacement birds are in a separate coop and run adjacent to the Original flock with their run and coop. Although, the original flock free ranges from 4:30am-8pm, they do spend a lot of time around the other pen.

I have been going into the coop, with my meal worms and taking a knee trying to get the chickens to come closer. They literally scatter when I toss some worms amongst them. We literally use to sit beside the brooder with our hand inside amongst the chicks, so this is strange to me. I figured after 11weeks, they should have be somewhat socialized. They are Speckled Sussex, BO, Lakeshore Eggers, Easter Eggers, and BR's from Mayer Hatchery.

 

[aart]

I have 3 coops. these replacement birds are in a separate coop and run adjacent to the Original flock with their run and coop. Although, the original flock free ranges from 4:30am-8pm, they do spend a lot of time around the other pen.

I have been going into the coop, with my meal worms and taking a knee trying to get the chickens to come closer. They literally scatter when I toss some worms amongst them. We literally use to sit beside the brooder with our hand inside amongst the chicks, so this is strange to me. I figured after 11weeks, they should have be somewhat socialized. They are Speckled Sussex, BO, Lakeshore Eggers, Easter Eggers, and BR's from Mayer Hatchery.

So you have spent time with time daily since when they were in the brooder(were they calm then?)...and continued once you moved them out to the coop??

 

[pintail_drake2004]

We have spent time with them daily since they arrived on the farm. They were skittish in the brooder since day one, and would run to the other side when we put our hand in. Even when we would pick them up, they would huddle up in our hand and not act calm. We kept doing it figuring they would get use to us eventually, but they never have.

We have had a couple hundred chickens in the last few years, most of which eventually come around. This group, for some reason, hasn't read the script.