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

[filbert1]

Hi all,

 

Am new to all this and just needed some advice. We got our 3 chickens and eglu on 11th August, so almost 2 weeks ago. We were very lucky and one laid her 1st egg on the journey here, and 2 have been laying every day since having them. The 3rd may have laid yesterday for the 1st time as we found 3 eggs in the nest yesterday, but one was under all the paper so could have been missed on a previous egg retrieval (conducted by my 3 and 5 year old).

 

Anyway, we let the girls out after 5 days, and now let them out every afternoon til they put themselves to bed around 9pm. They were fine for the 1st week, a little wary of us but let us stroke them (stoop to be stroked) and let me pick them up. But for the last few days they (particularly the non layer) get very over excited when we go into the garden, rushing to us, pushing past each other to get to us and pecking madly. They peck our toes if our toes are on show, if i'm poo picking, Mabel (the non layer) tries to peck my hands. Mabel pecked my 5 year old son on the eye lid and he has a large cut there now, she also packed my one year old sons arm.

 

Does anyone have any tips or hints to tame this pecking as this is not what I want when we are in the garden! And I do want to be able to let the girls free range so need to solve it. Are there ways to make them stop? Do they get more pecky just before they lay? Will they calm down as they mature? Are there ways to let them know that I am unhappy with their behaviour?

 

Any hints or tips greatly received!

 

Kay

 

Mabel 11/08/09

Ruby 11/08/09 12/08/09

Esther 11/08/09 11/08/09

[Redwing]

Chickens will peck at anything shiny so nail varnish, rings, buckles and unfortunately eyes will always attract them

 

not wearing those things (you can't do a lot about the eyes naturally ) will help

 

Also they have probably got to associate you with treats so to prevent them mobbing you make sure you go out with no treats for a while so they learn not to associate you with munchies

 

Failing that a squirt with a water pistol can work well when they are doing something undesirable

[Hen Watch]

My lot when new young girlies, would peck at everything to test if it was food. It made opening their run a bit of a pain......

 

But within a month they worked out what was food and what wasn't and the pecking stopped. However, I never let my toddling nephews bend down to eye level with the chooks just in case they go for a mole or something they think of as food on their faces.

 

As Redwing says, they associate you with treats. So I always had (and still have) a metal dog bowl which all treats go in. They hear it clanking and rush over knowing treats are involved.

[xScrunchee]

My old girls never peck me now although they certainly did when they were new.

I now have some more new chickens so the fun starts again.

So far I have a bleeding toe. (my own fault for wearing flip flops ) No doubt there will be a few more injuries to come!!

They do stop though once they realise what is edible and what's not.

[Egluntyne]

Never go near hens with toes on show!

 

Why not always take any treats in the same brightly coloured bowl and make the same call or whistle .....only if food is on offer. They will soon learn that no bowl and whistle means no treats and will ignore you.

[Gelbel]

Why not always take any treats in the same brightly coloured bowl and make the same call or whistle .....only if food is on offer. They will soon learn that no bowl and whistle means no treats and will ignore you.

That worked for me within a couple of days this week and the little madams know the white bowl = mixed corn. I use this technique to get them back in the run in the evening about an hour before they bed down.

 

I let them out to do the weekly clean yesterday then I tried to get then in the run at lunchtime as I had to go out - the red bowl of layers pellet was ignored as free ranging was giving up much tastier morsels. Of course, layers pellets and mixed corn make different rattling noises!

 

Got them in quickly though when I reached into their run - they thought I was putting a treat in for them.

[filbert1]

Thanks all for your replies.

 

I will try the bowl and call thing and get the children to do it too. I have also started making them all wear wellies as they were previously all bare footed out there! My 1 year old since his pecking won't dare go out when they are free ranging at the moment so they are only out free ranging when he is in bed for the next few days until he forgets the incident!

 

Hopefully it will all settle down and we can all free range in harmony without any injuries!!