Our chickens hate us. Help! :)

[kacklinkelly]

this is my story as well, but they know I bring treats, I pick grass, cut up apples, now if I run across the yard they come flapping after me, haven't caught one yet though, if I want to catch them, I wait til roosting for the evening

We've had ours for almost a year and got them at about 2-3 weeks old. At first, they would fly right out of our hands when we attempted to "cuddle" them. They are used to getting treats. They definitely let us know what they like and don't like. The funniest thing is now every time the back door opens, they come running looking for their treat. If it's not dropped quickly, off they go. The one sure fire way for me to get them to come close is to sit with a cup of coffee or a cold drink with ice cubes clinking. I have two that jumped right in my lap and scared the heck out of me the first time they did it. Now it's almost our routine. But they never stay there very long once they realize I'm not letting them drink what I have. I still have one that wants nothing to do with being handled. I have read that most chickens do not like to be petted. By the time ours got tame, our 7 y.o. grandson lost his interest. Now he wants to know if I'm a crazy chicken lady. Love my girls. They keep me laughing (mostly at myself and my interactions with them). Enjoy the process, you are already creating great memories with your children.

 

[slatts]

Quote:

Of course there can be individual variations.

But I can say in general that a White Leghorn will be more flighty and more stand-offish than say a Light Brahma or a Buff Orpington. So there is correlation between breed and behavior.

Well imagine that. I bet youre right but i can only go from what ive seen. My buff Orpington is a little stinker and Pearl my white leghorn is a sweetie.

 

[newbie32]

I buy most of my birds as pullets because I don't want the time and space to raise chicks. Chickens aren't puppies and it is going to take a lot of time and patience for them to warm up to you. They are prey animals that act like prey animals so anything new, big, fast, etc is scary. Also, chickens do have a "teenager" period where they are grumpier and more skittish and 15 weeks is right in that window. They will be more calm when they are older and start laying.

Don't chase them. The more you chase them the more they will be afraid of you.

When I want to work on taming my birds I sit in the yard some ways away from the coop -- low, quiet, still and calm with a bowl of mealworms. (Any high value treat will work but make sure it is something they REALLY want). I start by tossing them worms from afar and let them eat them so they gets used to that and slowly toss them closer and closer to me. As soon as they seem hesitant I stop for the day. Then pick it up the next day -- each day getting them closer and closer and stopping when it feels like too much of a push. Some chickens will eat out of my hand in 2 days and some take 2 weeks plus but by the end they all will climb in my lab for treats.

You can tame them and get them used to you but you aren't going to find a lot of chickens that want to snuggle.

Great advice!

 

[donrae]

Chickens just really aren't made to be pets. It's a very, very recent role in the chicken world and many hens just haven't embraced it yet. So, take it down and tell your kids it's an exercise in patience

No more chasing chickens. No more petting or touching chickens. First thing is getting the hens to approach you willingly and consistently. Food is key here, and short time spells. Like training a puppy, they're only good for so long at a time. Once hens willingly approach, then start petting/touching when birds are on the roost and content, to get them used to the sensation. Once birds are accepting of that, try touching when not on the roost, while eating. gradually work up to (possibly) picking birds up. It may take months.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

The only way I've ever been able to tame a chicken is by putting him in a cage. Because it #1 doesn't allow him the option to avoid me and #2 there's less commotion & stress on his skittishness when I catch & pick him up than there would be if I were trying to catch him in the pen. When I catch him I hold his wings tight against his body so he doesn't flap around and get stressed & more skittish. But if I put him back in the pen around other chickens he quickly reverts back to acting like a, well, uhh, a chicken.

Every clutch I hatch always has 1 or 2 bittys that come foward and act like I'm their best buddy, following me around, letting me pet them, flying up on my shoulder & head etc but after several months they start acting like, well, uhh, chickens!

Barnyard type chickens just don't make good pets. Everybody has told you how to get your chickens to tolerate you & come when they're called but if you want an actual pet chicken you have to hand raise a docile, mellow type like a Silkie or something.