Treats and scaredness?!?!

[Chickens? WOW]

Okay I know that my chicks are terrified with me and that that is normal. What treats should I give them for them to warm up to me? I just got them and they are already have wing feathers and are molting also they are black-sexlink chicks!

 

[Chickens? WOW]

Hello? Anyone out their?

 

[ChksontheRun]

I think that any extra treats help them warm up over time. I give my 3 week olds-- lettuce, yogurt, and yesterday, I found a nest of tent caterpillars and put them in my hand for them to eat. The loved them and picked them off of my hand as they crawled. Just keep trying. I have heard that they go through a scardy cat phase, but that if you keep handling them they get friendly again.

 

[Qi Chicken]

Your chicks can eat hard boiled egg without having had grit. Also plain yogurt. I made several hard boiled eggs and smashed one egg at a time up with a fork. I put it in a bowl and put about a tablespoon in my hand and hold it in there. I feed them one egg in about 2 days this way. Now when they see me coming into the room they all gather in the front and they jump in my hand or peck my ring if I put my hand in the brooder. They still freak out when I try to catch them, to move them out to clean the brooder or something but not as much. And I don't think they like ME, but I do think they like treats. They go crazy for the egg.

Make several eggs but only crush up one at a time. Leave the others with the shell on. The egg crumbles get kind of crusty after a day.

 

[emys]

Put some grit in the brooder first, cleaned sand works well. Then try grass cut up small so nobody chokes, or little broccoli flowers. Something healthy.

Don't be surprised if they are scared of the treats at first. They will get brave soon enough and try it. Once they try it they will like it.

 

[katy68]

i just put grass and sand in there and they just seem 2 love it. same here about they freak out wen i try 2 catch them. hah! we had 2 move them into a bigger area and they freaked out on the way there. they like treats but i didnt kno u cud put that many things in there. WOW!

 

[Lorije1]

I have mashed up boiled egg / scrambled egg for my chicks. I also pinch blueberries into little chick sized ooze and they love it! Anytime I bring special treats, I call to them (whatever you will use to call them outside - here chicken ; here girls; ladies; etc) and repeat the call phrase while they eat. The older 6 are now spending some time outside in a wire dog kennel and rather than getting on my hands and knees to crawl in after them, I just call "chicken chicken" and they come scrambling over each other to get to me.

 

[katy68]

you can just put regular sand in there with them because if they were in a run, they would be eating sand right off the ground and that sand isnt pre-cleaned.

 

[Qi Chicken]

Ok, Not to hijack (sorry OP!) but I have posted about grit and no one will write back!

So while we're on the subject...... I got playsand and it has little stones in it --about half a pea in size. I have been rinsing the sand with boiling water and then drying it in the oven (it was already wet in the bag so I would have to dry it anyway) then sifting it out for them because I don't want them to choke on the stones. I put some in their food (not a lot) and some in a bowl. They ate the whole bowlful in about 1 hour (3 tablespoons worth). I posted to ask if I should give them more.........but

no answer. Seems like they could get too much of a good thing.

So back to the original poster!!!!!!!!!!! If you want to give them anything other than egg or yogurt (as I understand it) you'll have to figure out the grit thing. I have not been able to find chick or parakeet grit around here.

 

[Mervin]

I have to say, mine really really like eggs. I couldn't get them to eat yogurt, but they wolf down eggs like they haven't eaten in days.