Scotty from BI
Songster
- Aug 26, 2015
- 184
- 196
- 121
I have always started my small backyard flocks with day old chicks and raised them to hens. I handle and talk to them as they mature and supposed that if they were not imprinting on me at least they were not threatened by me and have always been easy to handle as adults which is nice for a number of reasons especially when I need to treat them for some medical problem.
on my third flock I found evidence of mites on the flock and had to "manhandle the birds in ways they really did not like including plucking them off their perch at night and dousing them with chemicals to kill the mites. I had to repeat this several times over a 3 week or so period. I found that the chickens behavior toward me became distrusting and they would run from me instead of toward me. Over time this changes with frequent snack feeddings and now they are pretty much how they were before the treatments.
My question is this. Can pullets be raised in a small flock to be lie chickens raised from fluff balls? I know some breeds are just flighty no matter what but say with Orpingtons, Austrolorps, Wyandotte's etc. If I buy 6 month old hens to start a new flock will they always be more flighty than hens raised from chicks?
on my third flock I found evidence of mites on the flock and had to "manhandle the birds in ways they really did not like including plucking them off their perch at night and dousing them with chemicals to kill the mites. I had to repeat this several times over a 3 week or so period. I found that the chickens behavior toward me became distrusting and they would run from me instead of toward me. Over time this changes with frequent snack feeddings and now they are pretty much how they were before the treatments.
My question is this. Can pullets be raised in a small flock to be lie chickens raised from fluff balls? I know some breeds are just flighty no matter what but say with Orpingtons, Austrolorps, Wyandotte's etc. If I buy 6 month old hens to start a new flock will they always be more flighty than hens raised from chicks?
