I do my best and constantly learn new stuff about them.
We hatched some chicks recently and they’re so cuddly. They’re still scaredy prey birds but they’re way more trusting than their parents. We can easily pick them up and check them around and they won’t bat an eye.
The ones we got as young adults will climb on our knees if they want and will accept being petted on occasion (especially under and around the beak). But they’ll still recoil a bit when we reach for them. They quickly relax once you hold them.
They’re also way smarter than we usually give them credit for. They’re not parrot smart but they’re still birds. They recognize their own reflection, have complex social dynamics, roughly understand some vocal cues, and will solve some simple problems if there’s some kind of incentive. We haven’t even trained them at doing anything, they learn by themselves quite quickly.
For example, we had locked a sick hen in a coop with some towels and a bit of heating. They must’ve fumbled with the latch until they managed to open it because we found them all cozied up in the now open coop. It even happened twice until we added a spring to the latch so thy physically couldn’t open it.
That actually sounds really fun. My dad kept chickens, and I swear every single one was an ahole to me - but he also made no effort to socialize them with human contact…so…yeah, I guess that explains a lot in retrospect.
I go feed them twice daily with kitchen scraps complemented with grain. In summer they get some sprinkling if it gets too hot.
Then I go play with them a few times a week when the weather is clement enough.
Since I’m their food human they follow me quite a lot which sometimes is not that good of an idea when I’m busy with the beehive (soon to be beehives) or when the forge is running.
That’s good to hear. I like knowing that animals are being treated well.
I do my best and constantly learn new stuff about them.
We hatched some chicks recently and they’re so cuddly. They’re still scaredy prey birds but they’re way more trusting than their parents. We can easily pick them up and check them around and they won’t bat an eye.
The ones we got as young adults will climb on our knees if they want and will accept being petted on occasion (especially under and around the beak). But they’ll still recoil a bit when we reach for them. They quickly relax once you hold them.
They’re also way smarter than we usually give them credit for. They’re not parrot smart but they’re still birds. They recognize their own reflection, have complex social dynamics, roughly understand some vocal cues, and will solve some simple problems if there’s some kind of incentive. We haven’t even trained them at doing anything, they learn by themselves quite quickly.
For example, we had locked a sick hen in a coop with some towels and a bit of heating. They must’ve fumbled with the latch until they managed to open it because we found them all cozied up in the now open coop. It even happened twice until we added a spring to the latch so thy physically couldn’t open it.
That actually sounds really fun. My dad kept chickens, and I swear every single one was an ahole to me - but he also made no effort to socialize them with human contact…so…yeah, I guess that explains a lot in retrospect.
I go feed them twice daily with kitchen scraps complemented with grain. In summer they get some sprinkling if it gets too hot.
Then I go play with them a few times a week when the weather is clement enough.
Since I’m their food human they follow me quite a lot which sometimes is not that good of an idea when I’m busy with the beehive (soon to be beehives) or when the forge is running.