taming a skittish chicken

[NewFlockOnTheBlock]

We're raising 11 chicks who are now around 2 months old. There are five different breeds in our mini-flock. All of the chicks are either really tame or relatively tame, except our one Easter Egger who is extremely skittish. She was never our calmest or friendliest chick but she was definitely calmer and friendlier as a baby. Then almost overnight she decided that she doesn't want to have anything to do with us. She will occasionally come and eat treats our of our hands but catching her is extremely challenging. She darts around and screams her head off, scaring the other chickens. We do have to catch her twice a day in order to transfer her from our sun porch, the chicks' current nighttime quarters, to the chicken coop/run, and then back. We're now trying to let her just follow us out of the house into the coop/run area, with some success, and we don't come to get her until after it's dark and she can't see, making it easier to catch her.

I'm content to just let this chicken be the wild one but my husband wants to tame her. He will sometimes catch her and carry her around, talking to her in a friendly voice and offering treats (which she is too freaked out to eat most of the time). Do you all think this can work? We're also trying to figure out why she is this way. I understand that sometimes it's just individual temperament but I wonder if there is a reason for it. Could it be because she is the only one of her breed in our flock? (We had another Easter Egger but she died when she was only about a week old or less.) All the others have at least one other companion of the same breed, and many of them do tend to stick together. She is also the least feathered of all the chicks on her underside and new feathers are just coming in on her belly and the upper front part of her legs. Could she be experiencing discomfort because of this, and could the discomfort be causing or contributing to the behavior?

 

[azygous]

Your instincts about this skittish bird are traveling in the right direction.

There are some individuals, regardless of breed and handling, that just wish to be left alone. I have some of the most ridiculously friendly chickens in the world, but there are still a few that have forced me to sign a contract not to try to touch them except under the most dire circumstances. Since I've agreed not to touch them, they aren't skittish around me because they trust I'll live up to the contract.

There's a chance this EE is really a cockerel, and that could be the reason why suddenly there's a behavioral change. What color is the comb? Have you seen any colorful back feathers poking through the chick feathers? If the comb is a much deeper shade of red than the pale pink of the other pullets, you probably are dealing with a cockerel.

 

[Chickassan]

Easter eggers aren't usually touchy feely, my little hen Bea has been here since she was six weeks old and wants nothing to do with physical contact from me. She will take treats, and i have had to put my hands on her to help with an egg issue but she was quite clear my touching wasn't welcome and for me not to get used to it. Little roo or hen Easter eggers aren't usually snuggle chickens.

 

[andreanar]

Lets see a photo. My new flock was very skittish too. They tend to get friendlier as they come into lay. And the way to a chickens heart is thru its stomach! Treats are a big help.

 

[Chickassan]

@NewFlockOnTheBlock I can just imagine your husband carrying this chicken around trying to tame it.

 

[chickens really]

Why are they not living in the Coop and Run yet?....They are ready to become Chickens....EEs are skittish....

 

[NewFlockOnTheBlock]

Huh, the hatchery we ordered from says on their website that Easter Eggers are "extremely docile." That was a big part of why we chose this breed. Here are a couple of photos from two weeks ago. Now she is bigger, her tail is longer, her face is more black than white, she has more neck feathers that are yellow and black, and her comb is bigger and redder. And, yes, we do suspect that she may be a rooster... As to why they're not living in the coop and run full-time yet, it's because my husband is ill and work on renovating the coop is moving slowly (it's a old coop that doesn't currently provide good protection against night-time predators).

 

[chickens really]

Orpington are Docile, Brahma and Silkies...EEs depending on the cross are flighty...At least the hatchery bred are...

 

[NewFlockOnTheBlock]

Yeah, I just double checked our hatchery's website and not only does it say "extremely docile" about the Easter Eggers, it also says "active and friendly." So far all the other breeds we got (Buff Orpington, Speckled Sussex, Partridge Rock, Cuckoo Maran) are living up to the hatchery's description, but not this one...

 

[driver]

Yep, I think I read that same line about EEs being friendly and docile, but the one I have is flighty and won't let me touch her. She'll happily come to me for a treat, but I better not try to touch her. Same goes for the Wyandotte.