I have a hen that i got when she was a year old and the closest i can get to her is 2 meters, I don't want my 1 1/2 month old chicks turning out like that. Does any one have any taming tips? Thanks

-- Steve Hill (ukph@edsamail.com.ph), April 14, 2001

Answers

I read your other post and see you live in the philippines,if you have the native chickens from there,the ones that fly up real easy into trees,they are a less domesticated chicken, and even if tamed,they get untamed real easy.They are probably game chickens .The heavy breed chickens like, road island reds are real easy to tame.As a rule I've found the heavier the breed the easier to tame.Food works well with the heavier ones.Just let them go hungry for awhile.When you feed them ,give them something like bread. and try to get them to eat out of your hands .You didn't mention if the 1 1/2 month old chicks are being raised by the mother hen or seperate.They tame easier when they are raised by human then by a hen.I've had chickens that wanted to sit in people's laps.I try not to tame then anymore.It makes it harder if they are raised for slauther.I have some conish rock cross that I don't want them to be friendly and try to have little contact besides giving them feed and water and these guys come right over to me and don't run if someone tries to pick them up. Hope that helps.By the way ,chickens love coconuts,and if you get them for free it keeps the cost of feeding them down.

-- SM Steve (A12goat@cs.com), April 14, 2001.

Thanks for your response: The two 1 1/2 mont old chicks I know are not native but the older one that can not be caught was given to me whene it was fully grown. I don't know where the chicks are from but I know that there is no native in them. I let them free range around the garden during the day and put them away at night. I follow the example of raising chickens from the farms i've been to when i lived in England (just moved here, actually British). I have always loved to keep chickens but chickens in England would not go down well with the neigbours.

-- Steve Hill (ukph@edsamail.com.ph), April 15, 2001.

The easiest way to tame ~ and keep tamed ~ any critter is to handle them a lot! The earlier you start, the better, but I've done it with domestic and exotic critters of all ages.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), April 15, 2001.

Steve, I totally agree with Rogo, just handle them alot. Our daughter has carried ours around since they were weeks old, now she can set them on her lap and rock or swing and they fall asleep. You have to start when they are young. there are some down falls as in she( our daughter) is so attatched that butchering time should be fun, but that's life and she'll learn, we've told her from the beginning that they were dual purpose birds.

-- Kelle in MT. (kvent1729@aol.com), April 15, 2001.

Steve, may I suggest raisons as a taming treat? I find mine cannot resist them,they will soon be eating out of your hand, and then flying up on your lap to get them.

-- blue eggs (blueeggs@united.net), April 18, 2001.