The "Chicken Little" stage

[Snakebiteholloway]

I have raised more than 80 chickens at this point, and i notice one consistent thing across all breeds - the chicken little stage. I get the babies, ordered or from TSC, and fresh out of the box i handle them daily. Chickens aren't really petting animals, they don't groom each other even, but i want them accustomed to handling for treatment and observation and cuz you know, i love chickens, lol. But at about 10 days until about 25 days they absolutely panic with every brooder opening, pick-up, food and water change 2x daily, etc. Once i pick them up, they calmly sit on my hands, but wow! The panicked, shrieking and flapping behavior until that point! Anyone else notice this or are Maine chickens just psycho? I think at about 10 days, they realize they are alive and that most everything will eat them. Like instinct finally kicks in. Quail run away from hatching until adulthood. Guineas too. Turkeys are friendly from hatching and love everyone. But it seems to take chickens a few days to reach a mortality awareness. At big coop age, they quickly recognize me and while they still don't seek affection like puppies, they perch on legs and arms and shoulders and usually respond when called, thanks to mealworms and fresh corn training. But those two "chicken little" weeks puzzle me. Thoughts?

 

[rosemarythyme]

I've noticed that too. It's basically the point where they decide the world is terrifying and they're so small - which unfortunately coincides with when I start letting them out into the run to mingle with the adults (10-14 days old) - and starts tapering off when they get big enough to start using vertical space and jump up onto things at least a few feet up off the ground, where you're not completely towering over them (around 3-4 weeks old). That's usually when I start offering treats, and if you can win over one, you'll start winning over a few more too.