Polish chickens

[Hawks93]

Hi y’all , I hatched some Polish chicks about two weeks ago, and I’m trying to get them more tame , they seem to be taking a little longer than some other breeds, is this normal?
I have them to the point where I can hand feed them and pet them all in their brooder but when I try to take them out they start to panic scream, does this sound normally on track for having them tame by a month or so?

Do you have any tips on how to train them

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Hi. How are things going now? I've learned that this is a natural instinct/predatory response they have from something/someone coming at them from overhead. If you try to come at them from their level (think having their brooder secured at a level where you can reach out to them VS reaching down to them) they tend to do better. I hope this helps and I'm sorry your post was missed for a few days.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Also, I found that always saying my Polish's name and then gently touching her to let her know that it's me that's nearby has helped SO much. My daughter always forgets to do this and Polish are a bit more nervous with their crest, so Penelope will always run from my daughter. Their crest do make them either less aware or super nervous, in my experience with the breed

 

[DragonBearMomma]

Hello from another Polish Mom! My Mister Peabody is 12 weeks old and, although has been handled/hand-fed/crest-clipped/loved on daily since we acquired him at 3 days old, he STILL wants nothing to do with anyone if he has the option. It's kinda sad, especially since he's not turning out to be the best Roo, either, but he's still endearing and pretty well behaved.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Mine are screamers and they are 6 weeks old one is more so than the other. When I pick them up I am crouching at their level, but then I hold them close to my body like I would a full grown chicken only not at my hip, but more at my shoulder. That seems to help. I am hoping that when they can't see, that's when they will be "friendly". Lol just kidding - I plan on trimming crests when needed.

 

[Hawks93]

Hi. How are things going now? I've learned that this is a natural instinct/predatory response they have from something/someone coming at them from overhead. If you try to come at them from their level (think having their brooder secured at a level where you can reach out to them VS reaching down to them) they tend to do better. I hope this helps and I'm sorry your post was missed for a few days.

They are acting much more like normal chickens now, I have two they fly to me and love being held , two that tolerate it and are warming up more . Two that are still getting used to being picked up and pen really shy one that just doesn’t like being held , thank you very much for the advice