QUESTION, handling chicks

[Spring]

WE just got our baby chicks today in the mail. Is it ok to handle them? How often is ok? I just don't want to do it tooo much. Please help! We really want to make them tame and just come to us.

 

[hisbride]

I can't imagine handling them too much unless you get pooped on then maybe they need a little down time heehee
too cute!

 

[blue fire]

I would give them a day to get adjusted to the new place, then you can handle them, but be carefull. The best thing to is to cup you hands and let them fall asleep in you hand. If you want tame chicks handle them a lot when they are older, but not so old they are out and about. Just hold them and feed them from your hand and you will beacome fast friends.

 

[alex]

hello, i would just let them be for a day then, you can hold them for a few hours a day ...feeding them from your hand helps to get them tame..

alex

 

[rosyposyosy]

haha! i would handle them immediatly! but you have to resist... oh gosh i can imagine how hard that would be!! they're so cute!! but wait 1 day. or an hour

i love baby chicks! theres nothing like freshly shipped chicks!

 

[lurky]

OMG...... the new baby chicks are almost as cute as the little boy in the red hat

 

[rosyposyosy]

that is a cute feeder -- plastic too! where did you get the plastic feeder? i always end up cutting myself unscrewing our metal one..

 

[Spring]

Quote:
Thanks. He sure is excited!!

 

[LuckysMom]

This isn't anything scientific at all - just a gut feeling... but I told the kids in my class that we had to let the newly hatched chicks rest a lot, just like new babies sleep a lot. So we could pick them up and hold them for a little bit, but then we had to let them rest and sleep for awhile. I told them the chick's heart beats faster when it's being handled and it might stress the chick to be handled too much and make it sick. So we had to make sure the chicks had time to calm down and rest after being handled. At least for the first few days.

 

[akcskye]

I agree...wait a few days and let the babies get acclimated before handling.

However, that's not to say that they can't be "petted" some or some feed held in your hand for them to come peck to satisfy the kid's desires to hold them.