Do you want to know how to tame chickens?  Well this article takes you through a step by step process to tame your back garden chickens.  Whether you are starting with young chicks or older chickens it is possible and fun to tame your chickens.   Read on to find out how, with a little time, you can have your chickens eating out of your hand!

How to tame chickens?

Follow this simple 4 step process and you will have super friendly chickens. 

Step 1: Spend time with them

The first thing to do is to be with them.  Spend a lot of time in the chicken enclosure.  Spend up to an hour a day with them (it doesn’t have to be all at once it can be multiple shorter sessions).  To begin with, just sit and be in their space.  Let them come to you.  Remember that sudden movements will scare them away.  If you want to build a nice bond, avoid quick movements, speak and move slowly and gently.  When you are with them, speak to them, they like to hear the sound of your voice, it can be very soothing. And listen to them too, they like to respond to you with their own little chicken noises or purrs.

Step 2: Handling

Once your flock is used to you the next step is to handle them.  Pick them up and sit quietly with them on your lap.  Chickens like to be stroked. Always follow the contour of her body and keep her wings in a neutral position.  If your chicken is unhappy with you picking her up she will let you know by trying to pull away or flapping her wings.  Don’t push it if she is clearly telling you no.  Come back and try again later or another time.  With a little patience your flock will soon come to settle with you.  Aim to handle each of your chickens every day for a few minutes to build trust. 

Step 3: Bring treats or food

The easiest way to get your chickens attached to you is to bring food.  A sprinkling of meal worms across the floor attracts our entire flock.  When they are eating it can be easier to pick them up.  If they associate you with food then the chickens are going to come running towards you rather than away even if they are free range.  

Small children may need some help with slow movements and being quiet and gentle around the flock. They can often inadvertently scare chickens away with their enthusiasm!  However, getting them involved with bringing treats is a great way to help them get to know new chickens.  When they scatter treats the chickens will come running.  Children can also hold treats in their hand.  Just be aware that chickens peck.  So holding an apple is ok, as the chicken will peck at the apple and not the hand.  If kids have mealworms held in their hands they are likely to get pecked.

Step 4: Understand their personality

You will get better results with taming your chickens if you really spend time understanding your chickens.  They each have their own quirks and idiosyncrasies, some chickens like to be picked up and others do not.  Some will happily sit for a long time with me, others like a quick stroke and then they want to get on with their chicken business.  Some love apples, whilst others love sunflower seeds, grapes or meal worms.   The more time that you can spend with your flock the better will be your results for taming your chickens.

It’s worth paying attention to the time of day, some of your flock may be more willing to be handled in the morning or evening.  If you are struggling, then shake things up and try a different location or time.  This is all part of getting to know and understand your unique chickens.  And they are all unique.  Whilst they display general chicken behaviours like pecking and scratching, every single one of our flock has their own individual personality. We find great joy in knowing and understanding them! 

How long does it take to tame a chicken?

For the fastest results start with young chicks.  Baby chicks are very easy to handle, easy to pick up and will soon get to know your voice and the human touch.  They will become friendly in the first week and as long as you keep handling them they will be tame as they grow to maturity.

For older chickens the process will not be as quick, and it will depend on the breed of chicken.  The friendliest chickens are Selkies, they make great pet chickens but they don’t lay many eggs!  

Follow the steps and within a few days your birds will come over to you when you bring treats.   The more time that you spend holding them and stroking them the more tame they will become and before long you will have a friendly flock. 

How do you get chickens used to being handled?

The best way to get chickens used to being handled is to handle them.  There are no shortcuts.  To begin with, get them to trust you by bringing treats and spending time with them.  Then slowly they will start to trust you and allow you to pick them up.  Take the time to do this, chasing them around the coop to pick them up is not great for building trust as it can scare them.  Slow and gentle movements are better. 

Also be respectful of your birds.  We have two Wyandottes who sometimes just don’t like to be handled.  They are friendly and curious, but they don’t always want to be picked up.  We respect this and let them be chickens.  Other times they will happily spend half an hour cuddled inside one of my children’s jumpers!  

How to get chickens to trust you?

Time and a little patience will help to build trust.  Also you cannot be scared of your chickens.  I see this in both children and adults who come to visit our smallholding.  The chickens will run away from people who are fearful.   

How do you tame a chicken fast?

Time is the key to taming chickens.  It can feel like hard work, but the more time that you spend with them the tamer they will become.  If you want to tame a chicken quickly then spend more time talking soothingly and handling it.  But also make sure that you give it space to get on with being a chicken too.  It’s a balance.  Know that you have to understand their personality and their breed.   And not all chickens will become tame in the same way.  

Remember that an older bird will take longer to tame than a little chick, if you start from a young age chickens will be much easier to tame.  And don’t forget that a broody hen should never be messed with – however friendly and tame she was, once she becomes broody her temperament will change and you will need to have your wits about you to ensure that she is kept safe and well. 

Are chickens easy to tame?

Yes, I would say that with a little hard work, some patience and enough time chickens are generally easy to tame.  Of course there are always going to be some tricky characters, but most of the time if you put the effort in you will be rewarded with a friendly flock who enjoy being stroked and held, a flock that likes to have a chat with you and will give you a great deal of joy!

How do you calm a scared chicken?

One of the most soothing things for a scared chicken is the sound of a calm human voice.  But that will only work if your chicken is used to your voice.  This is why talking to your flock regularly is a great thing to do as it will help if your chickens do get scared from loud noises, predators or anything else.

How do you raise calm chickens?

Being calm in your interactions with your chickens will help them to be calm.  Ensuring that they have enough space to roost, enough space to nest and enough space to peck and scratch are all really important aspects of raising calm chickens.  They should be protected from the heat and cold, provided with shade.

Happy, calm chickens are those who are able to exhibit natural chicken behaviours freely.  They are also birds that do not live in fear, so they are chickens that are not harassed or chased and they are protected from predators. Well fed chickens will be calm chickens too, so always ensure that they have the right amount of food and water for their needs.

In conclusion raising tame chickens is a fun and rewarding thing to do.  Chickens are joyful happy birds who are curious and inquisitive.  They bring a lot of joy to our family watching them just wander around being chickens.  Knowing that our birds love to be held and stroked encourages us to keep handling them which keeps them tame.  

What is your experience with raising chickens?  I would love to hear in the comments below.