The effects of regular pleasant and unpleasant interactions with humans on tonic immobility (TI), heterophil to lymphocyte ratio (HLR), body weight, feed conversion ratios (FCR) and mortality in commercial broiler chickens were studied. The following treatments were imposed for 20 days: 1) Control: the birds only experienced standard husbandry interactions; 2) Pleasant/physical: each bird was held and gently stroked for 30 seconds everyday; 3) Unpleasant/physical: each bird was held upside down, and gently swung for 30 seconds everyday; 4) Pleasant/visual: was randomly caught in its home pen and gently stroked for 10 minutes twice per day so the cagemates could see; 5) Unpleasant/visual: was randomly caught in its home pen and held upside down by its legs and swung gently for 30 seconds so the cagemates could see. After the treatments had been implemented the birds were moved from their home floor pens to three-tiered battery cages. TI and HLR responses were measured before and after the chicks were moved. There was no interaction between time of transfer and treatment. The TI and HLR were lower in the chicks from the pleasant/physical and pleasant/visual group, compared to the control group. TI was not different in the unpleasant/physical or unpleasant/visual treatments, but unpleasant/physical chicks had lower HLR ratios than the controls. The pleasant/physical treatment resulted in improved body weight and FCR. However, body weight and FCR was not affected by the other three treatments. The authors concluded that the pleasant physical and pleasant visual treatments caused a reduction in fear and physiological stress response. The unpleasant treatments did not appear to have adverse effects on underlying fearfulness, stress reaction or performance.