Why are my chicks so skittish?

[ella2025]

Hi! I got 7 chicks 4 weeks ago and 4 chicks 2 weeks ago.
Here are the breeds:

4 week olds:
1 buff orpington
1 barred rock
1 light brahma
1 speckled sussex
3 silkies

2 week olds:
4 easter eggers.

I handle them every day. Every time i go to their brooder, I give them Black Soldier Fly larvae or whatever veggie I wanted them to eat. They love them. However, whenever I try to pick them up, all of them except the BR and SS will squawk so loudly while flapping their wings and sprinting away. I feel like BR is the only one who likes me. The others, um, just no. Silkies and Easter eggers are the WORST, while the Buff Orpington and Brahma don't like getting picked up, but are fine once they're standing on my arm.

Whenever I try to get them out of the brooder for cleaning, taking them outside to play, taking progress photos, etc, I'm having to snatch them up quickly after chasing them with my hand, even though I know they don't like it.

The thing is I feel really bad, but very often I have to do that, since they poop up their brooder so fast!!! They would run over to my hand if I have treats, but if I do so much as touch them, they run/fly away. What do I do? Will they get better once they're bigger?

 

[nuthatched]

What type of brooder? At 4 weeks, they no longer nger need one and can go out.
Chickens aren't typically cuddly animals, and they're prey instincts hate things coming from above.

 

[ForFlocksSake]

I’ve had 24 chickens over the last 2 years and none were ever calm and friendly as chicks. I have a few adults now who are more comfortable with and come over for a pet/let me hold them, but even for those girls it wasn’t until they came into lay when they chilled out a bit (about 20 weeks old).

I know lots of folks want lap chickens. I started this 2 years ago thinking that’s what chicken keeping was but I’ve learned they are much happier when you respect their space. As they grow you’ll learn their personalities more and figure out who wants to interact and who wants nothing to do with you.

 

[ella2025]

What type of brooder? At 4 weeks, they no longer nger need one and can go out.
Chickens aren't typically cuddly animals, and they're prey instincts hate things coming from above.

Right now, sadly we're still building the coop and run, so we have to keep them inside. They're in a dog crate since they outgrew their old box. Still a tight space though. We take them out once in a while, but since I live in a quite rural area surrounded by forest, there's millions or predators and I need to sit there the whole time when they're outside. That's why I kind of rarely take them outside. In another 1-2 weeks their run should be done and I can finally put them outside!

 

[ella2025]

I’ve had 24 chickens over the last 2 years and none were ever calm and friendly as chicks. I have a few adults now who are more comfortable with and come over for a pet/let me hold them, but even for those girls it wasn’t until they came into lay when they chilled out a bit (about 20 weeks old).

I know lots of folks want lap chickens. I started this 2 years ago thinking that’s what chicken keeping was but I’ve learned they are much happier when you respect their space. As they grow you’ll learn their personalities more and figure out who wants to interact and who wants nothing to do with you.

Yeah, I made the mistake of wanting lap chickens too lol. I hope they get a little nicer once they go outside!

 

[D13]

Hi! I got 7 chicks 4 weeks ago and 4 chicks 2 weeks ago.
Here are the breeds:

4 week olds:
1 buff orpington
1 barred rock
1 light brahma
1 speckled sussex
3 silkies

2 week olds:
4 easter eggers.

I handle them every day. Every time i go to their brooder, I give them Black Soldier Fly larvae or whatever veggie I wanted them to eat. They love them. However, whenever I try to pick them up, all of them except the BR and SS will squawk so loudly while flapping their wings and sprinting away. I feel like BR is the only one who likes me. The others, um, just no. Silkies and Easter eggers are the WORST, while the Buff Orpington and Brahma don't like getting picked up, but are fine once they're standing on my arm.

Whenever I try to get them out of the brooder for cleaning, taking them outside to play, taking progress photos, etc, I'm having to snatch them up quickly after chasing them with my hand, even though I know they don't like it.

The thing is I feel really bad, but very often I have to do that, since they poop up their brooder so fast!!! They would run over to my hand if I have treats, but if I do so much as touch them, they run/fly away. What do I do? Will they get better once they're bigger?

It's normal for chicks to behave this way at this age; just give them time. Keep spending time around them so they become familiar with you; especially when they're outside. They usually do become more friendly when they grow up, so just keep doing what your doing and it should be fine.

 

[CabritaChicks]

Here is what I did.

Converted a dog kennel (or a spacious finch cage) into a temporary chick habitat:

• Parked it right in the heart of the house—TV noise, footsteps, conversations—the full immersive experience.
• Called them regularly with my signature line: “Heeey chick chiiiick!” It's half magic spell, half poultry poetry.
• Left them there for a few hours a day so they could soak up the chaos and learn that humans = noise and snacks.
• Also gave them 30-minute sessions on the sofa (towel-covered, for obvious reasons) so we could hang out at eye level.
• Placed enticing foods between us to bribe—uh, encourage—interaction and crawling adventures without me 'grabbing' them.
• Let them climb on me like I was a jungle gym made of snacks and trust.
• The end result? Lap chickens.
• Which, to be fair, is both delightful and a little bit cursed.
• Baby chicks hopping on your lap: "Aww!"
• Full-grown hens body-slamming you while you scrub the coop: "...I have made powerful decisions."

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I don’t handle my chicks and I end up with fairly friendly adults. Once their feathers start coming in I think it is uncomfortable for them to be held on top of the fact that we are often a pair of hands swooping on them from above. I feed them treats from my hand once they’re a little older (closer to POL) and they are pretty mellow with me after that. Some people handle their chicks often and get friendly birds. This is just to assure you that even if you don’t they will still like you as you are the keeper of the treats.

 

[thecatumbrella]

I have limited experience, so this is 100% anecdotal.

I've had 3 batches of chicks.
- Brood 1: 4 chicks, received at 1 day old. Super easy to handle.
- Brood 2: 7 chicks, received at 2 days old. They act like yours.
- Brood 3: 3 chicks, received at 1 day old. Super easy to handle.

Not sure what to make of the data. Either smaller broods might have a chance at being hand friendly, or it has to do with how quickly you receive the chicks. Or it's coincidence.

 

[CabritaChicks]

View attachment 4118308

... Off topic.
Just realized the photo from today, makes them all look headless. I promise you- they all have heads. HAHAHAHA