Suddenly my hand raised chicks are terrified of me...?? :(

[Shemira]

They're teenagers.
Nuf said.

haha ok thankyou

 

[Shemira]

Completely normal!! All of my chicks have done that too! Kind of like dogs when they go through their fear periods as they mature. They should calm down around the time they start laying. Usually right around the first egg they remember I raised them and I don’t want to eat them. It’s frustrating but just be patient!

Thankyou! I'm so relieved, I couldn't for the life of me figured out what I had done to terrify them.

 

[Shemira]

It's perfectly normal. Mine are great with me then regress and are nervous but once they are in the coop and free ranging they are great.

So good to know I spent some time with them today, supervised free ranging and they were quite a bit more settled, even actually sat next to me so that's progress lol

 

[Shemira]

Same with everyone above, one of my jersey giants used fly up on my shoulder and just sit there. Not anymore
I think this is part of the equation for chicken math. Chicks turn into teenagers and don’t like you anymore, so you get more chicks.

lol, I had no idea chickens went through 'teenage phase' I thought those days were long past since my kiddos grew up!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

lol, I had no idea chickens went through 'teenage phase' I thought those days were long past since my kiddos grew up!

No, haha, they don't want to be seen with you. "You're embarrassing me, Mom!"

 

[Pigeony]

Yup, teen chickens :/ that's just how they are- one second they love and trust you, and the next they act like you're Godzilla. They'll go back to being more friendly once they get to point-of-lay.

 

[Kbech]

Hey folks,
I hatched my first chicks this year, they have just turned 12 weeks (I hatched three but we lost one).
I raised them as pets and have spent a lot of time with them, they were always super affectionate. Whenever they saw me they would run over and jump straight into my lap and snuggle and sleep there (for as long as I would let them lol).
Suddenly about a week ago they start to seem really cautious around me - this week the little pullet is absolutely terrified of me (she used to be the cuddliest and love to be petted), the little roo is not quite as bad, he is cautious, but still comes to me for some (very cautious) pats. If I even move my hand towards the pullet she runs away in terror and hides.
We haven't had any negative incidents.
Is there something I may have done terribly wrong to cause this?

Photo when they were about 3 or 4 weeks
View attachment 4184804

Sometimes when I wear colors that they don't like they are afraid of me. They are very dependent on me looking the same everyday. As long as I look the same they are fine but when I put certain colors on they are afraid of me

 

[Herbs and Eggs]

This can also reoccur if they don't see you for a couple of days or their world has changed significantly. Just like a hen who has been removed for a few days, they will have to jockey for their position again. Kind of crazy to see this, considering they can be so smart in other ways!

 

[Herbs and Eggs]

Yup, teen chickens :/ that's just how they are- one second they love and trust you, and the next they act like you're Godzilla. They'll go back to being more friendly once they get to point-of-lay.

Love your hen pic!

 

[McChooky]

Once their instincts kick in around 3-5 months old they'll be afraid of you if you try to pick them up. Be glad you didn't buy leghorns or another flighty breed.They're like that at day one