[lucylou]

hi again!

well my banties are taking all my spare time!! i decided not to put eggs under my little broody & i am trying to stop her broodiness by closing off nest box completelty, she is acting normal (eating, dusting & sunbathing etc) but as soon as i open the nest box she is traight in there again! - will this go onfor weeks i wonder or will she stop being broody soon? - anywaymy husband agreed to getting a couple of araucana POL banties which we picked up at the weekend from rare breed farm but when we were getting them the farmer said he thought one might be a cock so he swapped it for an older one which was in a coop with full size fowl.  She is gorgous and twice the size of the other one but she is absolutely terrified of me, my husband, any noises and even a bit frightened of the smaller one - they are separete from my other banties and cannot see them at all.  should i leave her to it or desensitize her by picking her up alot etc?? will she become less scared over time?  oh sorry for the long essay!! - so  many questions to ask and so much to learn!  thanks in advance for your advice lucylou

[Sparkle]

Hey lucylou
when my girls arrived they were about 2-3 years od and had been so free range that they were absolutely terrified of all things human and vaguely noisy. The slightest activity would send them flapping and squawking to the furthest point - one even landed on my head in terror and confusion in the run one day too! Anyway I all that I do is to talk to them as soon as I go near them so they get used to my voice and just do everything slowly etc. Now (after 4 months) they all come running to me when they see me and occasionly I can pick them up if they need looking at (although this still freaks many of them out). They still don't like strangers or sudden movements but have come a long way - bless.

I reckon pick her up every now and then - especialy if you need to check her over for mites etc -but she will come round eventually so give her time - also if you have other hens that don't freak out when they see you she will soon learn!

Sparkie

[lucylou]

thanks sparkie - that is encouraging! i did pick her up to check she is eating enough and her crop wasnt empty.  she is so sweet with her little sticky out cheek feathers- the other smaller hen  isnt a nice shape like she is - i think it may be a cockerel afterall  but the breeder said i could swap it if it is (fingers crossed)
lucylou

[Chookster]

it's funny you mention that point, i have 3 araucanas and they are just the same. I was a bit put out about it at first as i really didn't wan't them to be scared of me.  I've had them 8 weeks now and they're only just getting a little better.  I still can't free range them though - i 'd never get them back.  My other ladies are really placid and when they see me coming over they all run over to me (you know the scene, hazy sunshine, slow motion, arms and wings outspread towards each other for the reunion ha ha).  No seriously though... However, i got them when they were 10wks old from a lady on a farm and although all her other birds were completely free range for miles these birds were in one of those toblerone shaped arks nowhere near sight of human activity.  I think it really must have to be done when they are chicks, but anyway, we have made progress and they recently had a go at some lettuce which had gone to seed which i held out to them. I do pick them up while in the run with them but they still scare. I've made it my mission to be my friends LOL!

[too many girls]

when we first got the silkies Rodney Cassandra and Raquel from Thirsk poultry auction they were terrified of us, we kept them isolated in a stable for 2 weeks to make sure they hadn't brought anything nasty with them, if we opened the door they'd panic and be fluttering and flapping up the walls trying to get away, we got them used to us by going into the stable at bedtime when it was fairly dark and they were sleepy, picking them up from they're roosts and sitting with them on our laps, we stroked them and  talked to them in low voices, after a few minutes Sam would switch the light on, (wakey wakey) we'd let them down and give them some meal worms as a treat, they will probably never be really friendly (jumping on our knees ect) but we can bribe them into being picked up and they are no longer frightened of us.

[lucylou]

thanks for your replies which i find encouraging!  definately both the banties ive got didnt have much human contact until their nasty shock when i brought them home!  the little one has started to scratch a little bit and peck at the grass but the scaredy one still isnt doing that yet - she isnt really behaving like a chicken at all! i was going to keep them separate from the other banties but now im having second thoughts - maybe they would benefit from being with a group - but they might get bullied ill see how they go over the next week as they are still in quaratine
thanks lucylou