4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[KarenW]

Hi, hoping you can help with my chicken behaviour problem

 

Matilda and Dianne are both fairly gentle chickens - Matilda won't eat from my hand, but Dianne does and she's reasonably gentle. Penny, however, has always been a lot more 'pecky' and hurts when she eats off my hand (I couldn't let the children hand feed her). Now, for the last 3-4 days, she's starting pecking at us if she's disgruntled. Yesterday, for example, I was just tidying up their house/run and I was evening out the woodchip outside the run and she went for my hand and drew blood . I told her off, but not sure if that has any effect or not anyway?! Then when I put them in their run for bed I always coax them in with a bit of corn and when I went to shut the door, she pecked me again (hard enough to make me jump, but no blood this time!) She did the same to me today when I went to get them out and has also got annoyed at my hubby when he picked her up this evening and pecked him.

 

I don't want to be wary of her the whole time and so was just hoping someone might have some tips for stopping 'bad' behaviour? Do I get a water pistol or something?

 

Thanks

[beach chick]

is she laying yet? could be a hormonal, teenage, pre-lay kind of thing? (I could be completely wrong of course!!)

[Henhathnofury]

They do settle down. Was there anything red in/on your hand? Nail varnish? Even a rash? They are attracted to red.

[KarenW]

is she laying yet? could be a hormonal, teenage, pre-lay kind of thing? (I could be completely wrong of course!!)

 

I think she's not far off laying - she a lot redder around the face now and is squatting more. Also the pellets seem to be going down much much faster than they were. I really hope you're right and it's just that, because I can feel myself hesitating when I go to stroke her or anything now and I want them to be lovely friendly cuddly chickens

 

They do settle down. Was there anything red in/on your hand? Nail varnish? Even a rash? They are attracted to red.

 

Don't think so. Trying to remember what I was wearing, but I don't think I had any red on and I don't have nail varnish or anything. Hmmmm, worth knowing that though, so I can avoid

 

 

Thanks

[Henhathnofury]

They do take time to realise that fingers are not grapes, freckles are not raisins and noses are not pieces of bread. They learn quite slowly but once they get it, they really do get it. My older girls are very very gentle now...

[KarenW]

They do take time to realise that fingers are not grapes, freckles are not raisins and noses are not pieces of bread. They learn quite slowly but once they get it, they really do get it. My older girls are very very gentle now...

 

Was just a bit worried, because it really was like she was angry at me, especially when I was doing the woodchip, she sort of squawked and flew at me. Did you do anything especially, to help them become gentle? Like say 'no' or something when they pecked too hard? Or do they just realise that you're not edible and lose interest?

 

Thanks

[Henhathnofury]

You might have to put Penny in the run and feed the others, so that she watches their behaviour and then realises that she will not have treats if she behaves aggressively. Perhaps laying will settle her down too....but she sounds young and flighty. I do say 'no' to my chickens but there is a blank look. I even tried 'pecking' back i.e a quick but not really harsh jab with my finger. Basically, you are the boss - but that will take time to establish..she is currently trying out for the job. When she 'submits' - lowers her body to the floor - things should settle a lot.

[emmamakeup]

My Berny goes for shiny objects ie my rings. I noticed she started pecking at my shoes the other day because they looked quite shiny. She also grew worse just before she started laying as she was more and more hungry and went for anything that looked like food.

[KarenW]

You might have to put Penny in the run and feed the others, so that she watches their behaviour and then realises that she will not have treats if she behaves aggressively. Perhaps laying will settle her down too....but she sounds young and flighty. I do say 'no' to my chickens but there is a blank look. I even tried 'pecking' back i.e a quick but not really harsh jab with my finger. Basically, you are the boss - but that will take time to establish..she is currently trying out for the job. When she 'submits' - lowers her body to the floor - things should settle a lot.

 

Ok, thanks, will put her in the run next time she pecks me on purpose then and see how that goes. She has started submitting I think Hoping for some eggs soon

 

She also grew worse just before she started laying as she was more and more hungry and went for anything that looked like food.

 

She does go for corn like she has never seen food before and I feel like we're not too far away from getting eggs, so hopefully that's just it, thanks