nursechick Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Does anyone else nearly loose a finger every time they open the door of the run?.Mavis our Miss Pepperpot pecks with a vengance whenever my fingers come into her range.Our other chook Ivy does getting to know you pecks,and is much more gentle. I know she's just looking for food but i'm afraid the gloves are on...thick ones!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 My Wyandotte bantam pecks pretty hard if you try to get her off the nestbox when she's broody - enough to leave small bruises! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 strangely enough none of mine peck us they just make an awful lot of noise when we approach the run! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I quickly learned a technique of kicking the door pin upwards with my foot. Those beaks are hard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris70 Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 funny you should mention this - my husband got pecked at the weekend, my fault entirely. I had some grapes for the girls which they saw, but then I got distracted by a neighbour over the fence, and he went to go into the run with some ash for the dustbath - and whoops - Barbara thought he was a grape! She broke the skin too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursechick Posted February 5, 2008 Author Share Posted February 5, 2008 Trouble is, she gets me, I jump, she jumps, then Ivy jumps..just to join in and still the door isn't open!. But for all this she is the easier of the 2 to pick up and loves a cuddle. Where she see's fingers she see's food,quite clever really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 they don't peck me deliberately but if my hand is btwn them and the food, I get the odd accidental peck but nothing serious. The worst I've had is a fat lip from the end of clipped wing in the face! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I quickly learned a technique of kicking the door pin upwards with my foot. I use a stick to life up the door pin and then use the pin to hoik the door open, I've been pecked too many times to use my fingers Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Bertha pecks me and shouts at me, she's a big scaredy chicken, but it feels like she doesn't like me sometimes. I went to shut the eglu door the other night but there was some bark in the way and I had to reach in to move it and she pecked me hard just because she was scared I think. She didn't like it yesterday when I went out in the pouring rain to shut them in the run with some corn I was wearing a big coat with fur arounf the hood and i think she thought I was some wild creature and started bock bocking really loud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol U Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 The most I've had is the odd pecked toe in summer when I have nail varnish on. They think the red bits are something to eat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Watch Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Hi nursechick, your new girls may settle down in time. When my Omlet girls arrived they pecked my hand every time I opened the run door. It was Summer and they also pecked toenails (painted ones are better), stitching of my shoes, stitching of my jeans etc etc..... After a month they just stopped. Now when I open the run door they just ignore my fingers and rush straight out as soon as possible. However, when they are free ranging if I put out my hand near ground level they assume I'm holding food and have a quick peck to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Pom nearly swallowed my finger whole the other day! I made the mistake of bending down to hand feed them some mealworms and she launched at my finger - it went straight down her throat! It didn't hurt but I was slightly surprised at how long it took her to realise she couldn't swallow it any further and let go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocchick Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Pom nearly swallowed my finger whole the other day! I made the mistake of bending down to hand feed them some mealworms and she launched at my finger - it went straight down her throat! It didn't hurt but I was slightly surprised at how long it took her to realise she couldn't swallow it any further and let go It hurt when Abbie pecked my ear, there was blood Anyway, I lift out the pin using the top end and use the loop at the top to hook the loops on the door off the bits that stick out. I dig the pin in the ground to keep the door open. It keeps my fingers maybe a metre away. They rush out so fast they nearly trip over each other and would hit the door if I didn't move it straight out of the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goosey Lucy Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 No pecked fingers here...ES opens the run these days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...