Polish Bantams not liking us at all!

[mola_mil]

We've had two Polish Bantams from 3 days old. They just turned 4 weeks on Monday. We give them lots of attention, have picked them up daily, and still are getting nothing back from them except fear. They run from us when we try to pick them up, peep and kick like crazy when we do, they refuse to eat out our hands, and now seem to even try to peck at me when I offer food. It is sooo different from our first two chicks we got about 9 weeks ago. Those are a Sicilian Buttercup and a Light Brahma. The Brahma is a teddy bear and has been from day one, and even the Buttercup, the breed that's supposed to be flighty, has been good. They both began eating mash out of our hands from the second day we got them (at about 1 week old), and by week 3 they were accepting lettuce leaf and other treats. When we started field trips out to the backyard, they followed us around, and still do. I'm worried that our Polish Bantams will never like us and that, in addition to being no fun, it will be hell to try to retrieve them if we take them out on field trips.

Does anyone have any experience with this breed to know whether they come around after awhile? Is there anything I can be doing to try to get them to like us better?

Help!!!

 

[cbrown86]

My Polish baby has been very friendly since I got her last wk end. She loves to run up to my shoulder and snuggle on my neck. Or try to climb on my face to peck at my glasses.

Maybe yours are will come around.

 

[gettinaclue]

I'm having this same problem. I have 6 silkies, 2 EE and 2 Polish, and they all run like the dickins when I even walk by the brooder. I have no idea what the problem is.

The lady I got them from said they were all very docile and not flighty (very good breeder) and I have no reason not to trust her. The only thing I can think of is maybe they think I far to funny looking to spend time with

 

[cbrown86]

I just read somewhere that if you walk backwards toward chickens, they are less scared... Now, how the heck does that make any sense?

 

[SilverPhoenix]

My two bantam polish are very, very friendly! They run right up to me. I suspect it could just be that your chicks are in their flighty stage. Even the friendliest birds seem to go through it when they're in chicken adolescence. Handle them gently, offer them treats, and if they still freak out, just keep trying! They may mellow out as they grow up. And if they don't mellow out...well, you'll know you tried at least! I'd be surprised if they don't eventually become more tame, though.

 

[Wildflower_VA]

I don't have that breed, but when I got my BA's on March 2nd, I intended to interact with them a lot so they would be tame. Very shortly thereafter, my family fell apart, medically speaking, (two brothers in ICU one hundred miles apart and my sister fell and broke her hip), so all I could do was keep them fed and watered as best I could. By the time things settled down, they were peretty scared of me and I didn't have much time before they were old enough to go outside for good. At first when they were outside in their coop, they would run and hide everytime I came near. I just kept going out every day when I was doing chicken chores and I would give them treats and stay there and talk to them. In no time at all, they were really friendly and run to meet me when they hear me coming.

 

[crossgirl]

I hope it's just your chicks because I dearly want some banty Polish!
Keep trying, don't give up!!

 

[Wildflower_VA]

Quote:
Well, we are pretty funny looking! We don't even have any feathers. They probably befriend us because they feel sorry for us being so plain.