Why do people believe that if you hold/handle chicks, they will become friendly hens? It's *hogwash* (controversial, I know :p)

[thistlewick]

Is it just people being obsessed with intervention and handling?

I've been hands off, completely 100% hands off every chicken in my care. They are so friendly. They run to me the second they see me. I can call them from anywhere on my property (they 100% free range) and they will come, and it has nothing to do with treats, because they barely get treats. One (Pudding) is so sweet she follows me around like a puppy whenever I am outside. If she sees me, she's at my heel the entire time I'm doing chores.

You know what I do? I talk to them sweetly, every morning I greet them. I sing to them sometimes. When I see them wandering around the property, I greet them by name, we have a little chat. They *always* reply to me.

Zero of them run from me. Zero of them are afraid of me. Zero of them.

There is another lady on YouTube, who talks about this a lot, and she is the same, 100% hands off and her chickens ADORE HER too.

I just don't think it's helpful when I see people in threads and comments saying things like "but I need to hold and cuddle and handle my chicks so they stay friendly" because that isn't a thing. You just like holding your chicks. It is fine to like that, but it isn't affecting your chicken's behavior.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I am pretty hands-off as well once they start getting feathers. My hand swooping into the brooder seems to terrify them more than anything. My hens usually get friendly just by virtue of familiarity. I don’t talk to them or play with them but I do train them to come to a call using treats and they are easy enough to pick up if I need to. I will say that my hens raised by broodies are much more wary of me so there might be something to hand-raising them even if you don’t cuddle them.

 

[thistlewick]

I am pretty hands-off as well once they start getting feathers. My hand swooping into the brooder seems to terrify them more than anything. My hens usually get friendly just by virtue of familiarity. I don’t talk to them or play with them but I do train them to come to a call using treats and they are easy enough to pick up if I need to. I will say that my hens raised by broodies are much more wary of me so there might be something to hand-raising them even if you don’t cuddle them.

That makes sense, there is a kind of impression that happens probably, when you brood your chicks and your face is over them while they are babies - maybe that's all it takes!

 

[wrathsfarm]

I mostly deal with broodys, but it also depends on the broody. I have a extremely gentle Australorp that went broody last year and would bring her chicks to me.
I also favor the hands off approach mostly... especially with males, until they're mature. The females usually come around sometime after Momma cuts them loose and especially around Point of Lay.