Hi, we are brand new to the chicken world and love it so far. My husband and I are fledging our youngest child off to college this fall and thought we would fill are empty nest with chickens! We have 6 12 week old girls that we just got this weekend. 2 Bard Rocks, 2 Lace Wyandotts, a black australorp and a speckled sussex, pardon the spelling! They are settling in nicely but I get the impression they hadn't been handled much. Can I expect them to become more friendly over time? They seem very sweet, just skitterish. I 've been offering treats frequently and talk to them alot. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
If they calmly approach you when you enter the coop, if they eat calmly around you, and if they learn to approach you expectantly when you rattle the scratch in a can then you'll be fine with them. Their surroundings are new, you are new, everything is new. They'll likely calm down over the next few weeks as everything becomes familiar. Mine start "bawking" whenever they hear the back door slam. They expect me to head to the chicken barn. I don't make a practice of making all my chickens into pets, as I prefer them to just be who they are. I suspect your pullets will become quite trusting of you and will become quite familiar with your patterns and such. That's enough. They may never become "pets" as such, at least not all of them, but that's OK too. I don't like a hen who is stand offish, but as long as they are friendly, curious and a non-psychotic chicken, I'm happy and I suspect you will be too. Good luck with your new adventure.
My girls are kind of flighty even though I've "hand raised" them since a few days old. They do love me though. They run to the gate when I come outside and "bokk" at me while they scan my hands for treats. One calming method I tried is to sit in a lounge chair inside the run and keep a bread crust or something interesting on my lap. I always get a visitor to at least tap my toes. At least one of them will jump up on my lap. (Warning - don't try this in your best clothes!) Move slowly and bring treats.
