NH Reds....Flighty

[turtlebird]

I forgot to mention that it took a few weeks......like 6! they grew quite a bit, gained much space in their coop, and just mellowed out. Yes, they shriek to high heaven when you pick them up. I just ignored it and went about whatever I was doing for a while. Whoever was being nasty got scooped up. Either they mellowed or they figured out if they mess with me, they get picked up. "What an Indignity!" I think I heard my australorp hen say that one time!

 

[sheaviance1]

I don't have that breed, but I am currently trying to get two SLW's and an EE that were 14 wks old when I got them to settle down. I have them segregated from my older girls. I have been going out to the coop at night and petting them to get them used to me. I give them raisins and they love them. I started by throwing them in the run with me at a very safe distance away. Then I dropped it just out of my reach. Yesterday, I put them at the end of my fingertips on the ground. Now, they are addicted to raisins. Today, i held the raisins between two fingers. One of the chicks, the whiter SLW, came cautiously up and took the treat from my fingers. She got braver when she realized that I wasn't going to touch her. Finally, the darker SLW came up and took one. It took forever for the EE to take one, but she finally did because the lighter SLW was hogging them all. I plan to stay right here for about a week and just let them associate my hand with good things. I have been calling to them every time I hold out a raisin because my older girls come running when they hear me say Chick chick chick. I want the younger ones to learn to do the same thing. That way, when they are getting too far from home when I let them out, I can round them up without doing the whole chicken-chase thing. I hope to eventually be able to pet and hold them, but, that is up to them. Good luck with your girls. The more you have to do with them, the more tolerant they will be of handling. By they way, I got my ideas for taming my new additions from Noodleroo. She has a personal page with some information that would be great, especially if your chicks are still young. You may want to find her on here.