Taming chickens

[breanna6627]

My chickens that I hatched don't like me. When they hatched I had some school still left (about 2 weeks) and I was juggling school and 20 chickens. I also had "special" a chick that hatched without an eye and at first I isolated him and while doing end of the year homework I would check on him a lot. He had a friend it seemed when he was with everybody else, and I put him with her. She actually helped him find water, and special gained strength, and held his own when I put him back in with the others. He died anyways .

Anyways i tried my best to tame my 18 others but it was hard to get to all of them in the school year. Now I would like to tame my chickens, they do come near me (2ft away at all times lol) but I can never touch them. I thought this was normal until I saw people with chickens in their laps. How????? It seems impossible. I'm afraid if a chicken gets hurt I won't be able to catch her without a net

 

[chickie-doo]

what I've always done from day 1, whether i'm dealing with newly hatched, pullets, etc.. whenever I come to feed, I say "chick, chick, chick",etc. as i'm throwing down/putting down food. so soon enough they associate me with something great--food!! I will say that if they didn't have a lot of exposure early on, it does make a difference. but you have to spend a lot of time with to help them overcome their wariness. I visit mine a few times a day by just sitting in the run with them. yes, just like people, some birds are more curious and outgoing than others. it can be the breed or just the individual personality--just like people! so then, yes, some breeds are more outgoing where others are more flighty and stand-offish. and of course, frequently handling of a bird will calm them too. that may not be practical when you have a dozen or more. but i'm sure anyone who has tended to a sick bird notices that in no time he/she becomes very comfortable with the handling--look at all those 4-H birds that kids tote around like stuffed animals!!

 

[breanna6627]

I guess, what kind of food do chickens like? (I have a garden with pea pods sweet peppers cucumbers, etc.)

Thank you for the quick response!

 

[chickie-doo]

Oh my, they'll eat anything: bread, veggie cooked or raw(just never feed any onion,garlic, etc it'll Affect the taste of the eggs). Don't give anything with sauce or seasoning,as in kitchen scraps. But i give my girls veggie and fruit peels and over ripe. Watermelon when it's hot out. Mine love canned unsalted corn but not in summer--it makes them hot. Sunflower and other bird seed, FRESH grass clippings AS LONG AS NO LAWN CHEMICALS ARE USED!!!!!
When I start up my mower, they ALL crowd at their doors waiting for me to dump the bag for them!

 

[centrarchid]

Compare live meal worms to any of the options listed above. See which they prefer. Then use preferred type of item for training / taming. You will be using meal worms if experiment fair at all.

 

[breanna6627]

good list. Gross list
Celery. Bread
Wet food Bell peppers
(Chicken crumbles wet)