Teaching the chicks to come to me

[gritsar]

Not all my chicks are what you'd call pets. With 21 it's just too difficult to find time to hold each one for long periods of time so they get used to me. Plus quite a few of them look very much alike, so it's difficult to keep track of who I've held.
I had some time to kill this morning, so of course I spent it with the chicks. I got a stool and sat down next to the brooder and I took one large strand of millet and broke off the individual "pods" of seeds. All the chicks knew I had their favorite treat and kept waiting for me to throw it into the brooder like I usually do, but I didn't. I held it in my hand and waited for them to come to me. Each chick quickly learned that to get a piece they had to jump into my lap. The light brahma girls caught on right away. One was determined not to leave my lap until she'd gotten every last piece. I'd close my hand and she'd try to push her beak between my fingers. Anyhow, by letting them each have one or two and then putting that chick back in the brooder I managed to get most of the chicks to jump in for a treat. The last one to get brave enough to venture into my lap was my dark roo and I was proud of him.
I also learned that I have a 3 chick capacity lap.

 

[Cetawin]

Oh now come on....I have a 6 chick lap capacity and barely break 100 lbs...figure it out now.

 

[John T]

I feed my 17 chicks out of a red tray. Now when I want them to come to the coop I just hold up the red tray and they come running. It is pretty funny.

 

[crooked stripe]

I have hand feed treats to mine since they where a month old and still in the brooder. While walking to the brooder I would call here chick-chick-chick. Now they are 14 weeks and run around the back yard. When I call here chick-chick-chick they come running. It is so funny to watch. Even when they can't see me they come looking. I play hide and seek and they find me every time. John

 

[Cetawin]

I use the same treat dish and bowl for them and they know what that dish or bowl means too. I always say "Here Girls" and they know that too. hahahaha