Playing with chicks

[RavenStorm]

I know that she thinks that, but swear that I can't lay eggs so no one can prove anything. I had no idea until today when she follwed me everywhere that geese can imprint after they hatch; this one is already a week old (or maybe older?). How long is the period where they will attach themselves to a creature?

 

[wegotchickens]

I think it's within the first few days of life. But if she imprinted on humans, and then you nurtured her, she's YOURS whether you laid the egg or not!

 

[BawkinOnTheBench]

Can anyone elaborate on the term 'playing' with the chicks? What kinds of things do you do? I hold mine - they are a week old, and none of them likes it so far, though some are pretty calm once caught. They still act like the hand is a hawk, however slowly it moves. I've been resisting picking them up too much so they don't stress out. I would love ideas on how to play with them.

 

[Jarhead]

Having them fetch tennis balls, wrestling, water polo. You know normal stuff

Really just holding the chick, petting, getting them used to you checking things out on them, etc. General personal interaction would be a better description that true playing. We also let the dogs interact with them so on both ends they are comfortable being in the same "extended family". This is all due to the fact that our chickens are in our minds are pets first, the other benefits of the chickens (eggs, natural insect control, poop

) are secondary to us.

 

[granmahen]

You bet we do. How can you not. We do only have three at this time (not sure how to interact with 40) but granddaughter lays on floor, puts chickies on tummy, and all three promptly go to sleep. Can't believe granddaughter can lay still that long.

 

[ChickaD]

I thought our family was too nuts to ever describe this before, but we got one of our first batch of chicks so tame that when they finally made the transition out to live in the coop (and were enormous!), they'd fly all over and land on us. This was quite startling, having several landing on our shoulders and heads! Thank heavens I was wearing a ratty stocking cap.

It felt like an Extreme Chicken Sport.

Another True Life Confession: for the first batch, we would sit out in their roomy coop in lawn chairs with old beach towels over our laps & legs (for poop control)(I mean theirs), and a whole line of those big gals would roost on our legs & lap, jockeying for position.

 

[monarc23]

I handled and handfed my button and coturnix chicks from day one, they are now a month to almost a month old and are outside.


So I don't handle each one individually every day anymore it's impossible, as I have about 30 and it would take a few hours to make sure which chicks I've already held and worked with and which ones I did not.

Some are shy some aren't the ones that aren't get most of my undivided attention. Many are pretty tame from the chick brood stage handling, however some just became skiddish over time and like to stay away and look at me sucpisiously from a distance

.


Tame chickens however are a different story you can betcha when i ahve some chicks to raise they'll be worked on imprinting and played with daily for as long as I can stand it.

I looove tame chickens so sweet and funny and will follow you everywhere (well atleast mine did when i was a kid).

I miss that and cant wait for it again with smoe possible silkie hatching eggs im getting this week!

niki

 

[ChickaD]

Sounds great, Niki - enjoy those sweet little puffballs!

 

[fowltemptress]

1.) How often do you interact with your chicks? Multiple times a day
2.) How long do you hold and cuddle each individual chick? If there aren't a large number of them several minutes per chick . . . if there are more I might alternate chicks every day, but usually I'll just dump them all out and let them cuddle me instead of vice versa.
3.) Do you play with each chick every "session"? Yes
4.) Do you favor 1 or more chicks over the others? If I did that I'd be spending all my time with little roos since they have the great personality as chicks that I'm drawn to . . . lately I have been spending more time with the chicks I don't like as much, thinking they'll probably turn out to be hens. So far I've been right.

 

[JennsPeeps]

I interacted regularly with my chickens when they were babies. Sometimes this is great to have tame adult chickens, sometimes not. Yesterday i was out in the back yard reading a book and eating a piece of homemade bread with goat brie and homemade onion marmalade. My yard shark, the BR, decided she wanted it. I got mugged.

Chickens: 1
Jenn: 0

My skittish RIR would never steal food from me.