They know me!

[AMChandler]

My chicks are totally afraid of me! When I open the top they run to the other side and when I peek in, they freeze like statues.

 

[drumstick diva]

AMChandler that would make a cute youtube - the chickies playing"statue" when you look in.

 

[mother o' chicks72]

If your chicks are scared of people or are flighty, it could be because you haven't been handling them enough. All my chicks are sweeties and it's because we've been holding the every day since day one.

 

[NickyPick]

My kids are 4 weeks and I give them a small treat once a day. I take them all outside to a pen and sit with them for about an hour or two every other day. I think that's what's getting them not only used to me reaching towards them, but excited about it. There are a couple that I haven't just held much and when I pick them up, they tremble. Garnet, the dk brahma, is always the first to run at my hand and will even jump on me. She loves to be picked up and likes to sit on my shoulder and watch tv.

Right now, my most scaredy cat chics are the 4 EE's. I'm hoping that changes because I had always heard that the EE's were the most friendly.

 

[AMChandler]

Quote:
We call it playing "chickenhawk" and sometimes when they are freezing like that, I call out chickenhawk! Oh no, it's a chickenhawk!
They freeze and go completely silent when anything unexpected happens. It's funny to see them.

 

[AMChandler]

mother o' chicks72 :

If your chicks are scared of people or are flighty, it could be because you haven't been handling them enough. All my chicks are sweeties and it's because we've been holding the every day since day one.

We'll have to do that I guess. My older daughter handles them a lot and takes them out to the run and sits with them. The older hens we have are pretty flighty too. They will follow you hoping for a treat, but run away if you approach them!​

 

[Reyvaughn]

Quote:
My EEs are the most friendly. I got them at a day old and I have given them treats, cleaned their butts, held them and/or sat and talked to them every day since I got them (they are 7 days old). The BAs (4 days old) I have are in with them and are a little flighty when I walk by, but when I reach into the brooder, they all race to my hand and jump all over it. The older 14 are skittish because I got them all over 4 days old and didn't really bother with treats. I figured they came skittish but eventually they will understand I am the walking feed bag.

ETA: My one EE, my favorite girl, watches me whenever I am visible over the brooder. She's so smart. She waits for her treats and knows I have them.

 

[healingtreeharp]

but they do know that I'm the treat dispenser, so I go into the kitchen to mash up their two boiled eggs...

I am such a newb. Did you mean like boiled chicken eggs???
Tell me more!
I have had my lil Bantam mixed brood for a total of four days (lovin' every minute of it!) and noticed last night they are scared of June bugs, but caught others that landed in their space and not only gobbled them up, but chased and fought each other for them. Figured bugs can't be bad, but eggs? Really? I knew the hen can have a tendency to eat their own eggs. Just did not realize you could feed them boiled eggs.
I am loving this forum, loving this site, and loving how helpful everyone is toward each other! SO glad I chose to do the backyard chicken raising thing!!!
I am SO blessed!

 

[Reyvaughn]

Yep, hard boiled chicken eggs. That's all mine get right now. Hard boiled eggs and plain yogurt can be fed without grit. You need to feed them grit for them to digest bugs and worms and the like.

 

[NickyPick]

Yes, boiled Wal Mart cheapy eggs. The way I figure it, it's the perfect chick food. The yolk is what the chick eats as it comes out of the shell (it's not chick, so it's not cannabalisim) and the whites are basically placenta. When they were tiny, I just used the yolk and gave the dogs the whites, but now that they're so big, they get the whole egg.

I tried meal worms yesterday and gave them while we were in our outside pen. I took out 10 of them and put them in a tupperware lid. Most of the chicks that I offered it too, looked at the lid like it was poison and walked away. One GLW, Amber, saw a wriggly thing and pecked it. She wasn't sure it was food, so she dropped it on the grass, pecked a couple of more times, then finally ate it. Suddenly, I couldn't keep her out of the dish!! She had terrible beak/eye coordination and it took an average of 8 pecks to get one work, but she ended up eating all 10! I waited about 30 minutes for the rest to chill more before offering a few more. Amber saw me getting the dish ready and got frantic. I offered it to Pearl and Peridot, the EEs, and they turned away, but never fear, Amber was right there pecking her hardest to get a worm. Pearl looked back and got interested, so she darted in and snatched the worm Amber was trying so hard to get. Ha. Pearl has excellent beak/eye coordination and she was getting them on the first try. Luckily, with Pearl going to town, it got the attention of most of the others, and they all got excited and swarmed me for the rest of the worms. I'm pretty sure everyone got at least one!