These kids today...

[Jester57]

My flock, due to an over abundance of roosters, had shrunk considerably, so I decided to expand a little. I ordered a bielefelder, a speckled sussex and a dark brahma and they arrived, along with a bonus bielefelder, back around the middle of March. It was a cold spring here in Missouri, but I wanted to brood them in the (enclosed, but unheated) run using a mama heating pad.

And, hey, they thrived! They were essentially brooded outdoors, so they were a lot more acclimated to the changing weather (Missouri is the master class of changing weather). Because they'd been raised where everyone could see them, the flock accepted them without too much trouble. I think they were at about 6 weeks when I opened up the brooder escape hatch and let them spend all their time free-ranging with the rest of the flock. So far, so good, except...they hated my guts.

I blame a lot of this on my limitations as a carpenter; as I told a friend once, "I've built things that are still falling down." I managed to build the brooder box, but made the door the entire front panel. When they were young, I'd open the box and they ran out all over the place, so I didn't open the box unless I really had to, which meant I didn't get to interact with the chicks very much, and by the time they were free ranging, they were free-ranging to get the heck away from me.

I realize it was my fault they were that way, but all 4 were completely psycho about it. Essie, the speckled sussex, soon became an escape artist and led many a jailbreak with one or both bielefelders. Orpha (named after my grandma, who also kept chickens) the dark brahma, escaped with them once or twice, but soon outgrew the ability to squeeze pretty much through anything, so she was accounted for. Essie had a bad habit of breaking into my neighbor's yard and pretty much volunteering as his pit bull mix's dinner. But she has, miraculously, survived to this day. She was such a foul-tempered fowl that she'd bite me when I was rescuing her. Honestly, there were more than a few times I wished the dog would just finish her off.

I'll admit it, I really like the two buff brahmas I have; they've been cuddle chickens from the beginning, so I had high hopes for Orpha, figuring she'd be super friendly. She was the friendliest of the lot in the beginning, which isn't saying much. As she's grown to her present size, which will cause ripples in your coffee when she walks by, she's become less and less friendly and more and more standoffish.

The two bielefelders, Beelee and Heliane (named after my brother's German lady friend) have been more or less following Essie's lead. They accept that I bring food and water, but that's about it. They too, have grown enormous and are tied with the marans for second place.

I'll admit it was all about the looks when I was selecting this crew, and they're really attractive birds, but I was also hoping for friendly, as all of these breeds have that reputation.

So I was thrilled when I was walking by my sussex, Essie and she squatted. Thrilled both because I knew she was close to laying, if not having done so, and because she let me touch her without absolutely losing her mind. Score one for instinct!

Beelee and Heliane have also been warming up to me. Both are squatting (but only under duress for the most part) and Heliane let me pet her while I was checking out the new babies. May not mean much to you, but my daughter was impressed.

Speaking of the new babies, I've learned my lesson and built in a smaller door inside the larger one, so I can interact more securely with the chicks. They seem to appreciate it.

My last holdout it Orpha, the dark brahma. As she's grown, she's come to resemble a fluffy t-rex with one of those mean eagle heads. Her comb is starting to appear redder than before, but I don't think she's laying just yet. You can, if you don't mind risking a finger or two, reach in and stroke her breast feathers for a moment. But she is a chicken of many moods; and she doesn't mind letting you know that with a forcible peck or two.

The kids are growing up.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I have my entire front of the brooder as the access door and haven't had issue opening it to interact with the chicks. It's bottom hinged and latches at the top on the sides. One thing you can try in the future (if you still have issues with chicks squirting out) is to put a mini fence around the brooder area, big enough for you to fit in (I just use some chicken wire) so even if chicks start scurrying around, you can corner them and grab them without too much issue.

 

[rosemarythyme]

My brooder looks a lot like that now (your carpentry skills are better than mine), and previously I used the panels from the chick pen to let them run around outside. Honestly, I didn’t know how important interacting with them was for taming purposes. It turns out it’s very important.

No carpentry skills here, this was part of a prefab that I recycled.

I actually don't interact with my chicks a ton - I mean I do spend time with them daily, but for the most part I'm mostly hands off. I think a lot of it has to do with the individual chick's personality. Like I have a Welsummer hen that we got at 7 weeks old (from a feed store pen), and she's actually one of the friendlier birds, despite the lack of human socialization early on. Since it sounds like your girls have recently come into lay (or are close) that explains why they're a little more tolerant of contact than before, as teens especially tend to be more flighty/standoffish.

 

[Jester57]

I have my entire front of the brooder as the access door and haven't had issue opening it to interact with the chicks. It's bottom hinged and latches at the top on the sides. One thing you can try in the future (if you still have issues with chicks squirting out) is to put a mini fence around the brooder area, big enough for you to fit in (I just use some chicken wire) so even if chicks start scurrying around, you can corner them and grab them without too much issue.

View attachment 3252351

My brooder looks a lot like that now (your carpentry skills are better than mine), and previously I used the panels from the chick pen to let them run around outside. Honestly, I didn’t know how important interacting with them was for taming purposes. It turns out it’s very important.

 

[Jester57]

No carpentry skills here, this was part of a prefab that I recycled.

I actually don't interact with my chicks a ton - I mean I do spend time with them daily, but for the most part I'm mostly hands off. I think a lot of it has to do with the individual chick's personality. Like I have a Welsummer hen that we got at 7 weeks old (from a feed store pen), and she's actually one of the friendlier birds, despite the lack of human socialization early on. Since it sounds like your girls have recently come into lay (or are close) that explains why they're a little more tolerant of contact than before, as teens especially tend to be more flighty/standoffish.

I might have to rethink that statement about time spent with chicks. You're right about the change that happens when they come into lay. Three of the 4 kids have already come up to me wanting to be petted, and I just don't think the brahma's quite there yet, but will be.

I've noticed that the chicks that were standoffish as chicks (in a socialized bunch) were also standoffish as teenagers and aren't all that friendly when they come into lay. They'll tolerate you, but that's about it. Now the kids are a lot friendlier and get closer to me than those guys, even though they were completely hostile towards me when they were younger (although one of them has a slight tendency to bite me when I pet her). So I'd guess that personality has a lot to do with the end result, but getting them used to me early would have let me experience more of their childhood and teenage years. Excuse me while I go and listen to "Cats in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin on repeat. That sobbing sound you hear is probably the dog.