Hi, this is my first real flock (we have some older production layers here, but they aren’t mine) and I decided to try out several different breeds. The Chickens are about 8 weeks, fully feathered, and about to go outside. I’ve been trying to handle them so they aren’t too wild once they are grown.
I have in my mixed flock of 13 straight run at least 4 or 5 identified roosters. Which I plan on keeping for breeding projects.
What confounds me is my Barnvelders. I have 4... I hope 1 roo and 3 pullets, but it could be 2 & 2. All of them are crazy, standoffish, and won’t tolerate handling. Which sucks because I was going to give them once I got it down to 1 roo and more girls, as a project for the little girl on our farm this summer because she loves the colour and large birds.
The roo “lil peeps” hatched 3 days before anyone else on day 17, and was extensively handled and hand raised for the first week, but once the other chicks hatched out he became gradually less friendly and trusting of humans. I have had to do a complete a litter change twice now and moved my brooder, and catching the barnvelders was a nightmare compared to the other breeds.
They scatter, alarm chirping loudly, when I reach into the brooder. Even when their flock mates are being quietly lifted out, they freak out. Catching them and picking them up is very challenging, they fight being held and scream like I’m murdering them, even when they can see they are clearly being relocated to their flock mates. This upsets the whole flock.
So I got another batch of chicks, 10 created cream legbar crosses to a leghorn hen, and 4 more Barnvelders. Thinking I will add the pullets to my first 3 or 4 once they grow out. These Barnvelders are acting the same as the first batch, at 5 days old alarming and rabble rousing every time I go to change their water or feed.
Is this some sort of breed trait? Should I recommend the little alarmists to the people who want to fully free range their chickens and breed them for that? Can they be tamed down? Should they be?
I have in my mixed flock of 13 straight run at least 4 or 5 identified roosters. Which I plan on keeping for breeding projects.
What confounds me is my Barnvelders. I have 4... I hope 1 roo and 3 pullets, but it could be 2 & 2. All of them are crazy, standoffish, and won’t tolerate handling. Which sucks because I was going to give them once I got it down to 1 roo and more girls, as a project for the little girl on our farm this summer because she loves the colour and large birds.
The roo “lil peeps” hatched 3 days before anyone else on day 17, and was extensively handled and hand raised for the first week, but once the other chicks hatched out he became gradually less friendly and trusting of humans. I have had to do a complete a litter change twice now and moved my brooder, and catching the barnvelders was a nightmare compared to the other breeds.
They scatter, alarm chirping loudly, when I reach into the brooder. Even when their flock mates are being quietly lifted out, they freak out. Catching them and picking them up is very challenging, they fight being held and scream like I’m murdering them, even when they can see they are clearly being relocated to their flock mates. This upsets the whole flock.
So I got another batch of chicks, 10 created cream legbar crosses to a leghorn hen, and 4 more Barnvelders. Thinking I will add the pullets to my first 3 or 4 once they grow out. These Barnvelders are acting the same as the first batch, at 5 days old alarming and rabble rousing every time I go to change their water or feed.
Is this some sort of breed trait? Should I recommend the little alarmists to the people who want to fully free range their chickens and breed them for that? Can they be tamed down? Should they be?
While it's been so long ago, I forget exactly when things changed, Enya suddenly decided she liked us. A lot. Perhaps too much. 
Once she tasted love and affection, things were never the same until the day she passed away. Easily one of my all-time favorite hens.
Pushing the issue doesn't seem to work, either....it needs to be on their terms. Perhaps try offering them treats.
