•1 min read•from Raising Chickens or Other Poultry for Eggs, Meat, or as Pets
Is it too late to socialize my chicks?
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Is it too late to socialize my chicks? After a week of playful bonding, where they learned to be picked up and eat from my hand, I had to leave town. A friend watched them, but interactions were minimal. Now that I'm home, my chicks—almost two weeks old—are terrified of me. They panic and scream when I try to pick them up or even reach into the brooder. I feel terrible seeing them so stressed, yet I want to help them regain their trust. At what stage in their development does it become too late to build a strong bond? I worry that avoiding interaction will only make things worse for both of us. Any guidance would be cluck-tastically appreciated!
We played with them a lot in their first week and got them comfortable with being picked up and eating out of our hand.
We left town for a week and had a friend watching them but they didn’t really interact much. We got home and they are terrified of us. They will be 2 weeks old tomorrow.
We feel like they get so stressed and overwhelmed when we try to pick them up or even put our hand in the brooder. They scream and panic. I feel horrible but want to try and resocialize them.
At what point in their growth is it too late to get a strong trust with them? I feel horrible scaring them and it makes me want to interact with them less.
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