Storms and chickens

[JenCat060]

We got four hens two weeks ago and all has been going fairly well. In the last couple of days though, two have started to peck me when I go into their run. I don't think it's aggressive but more that they are demanding treats. I think they've come to associate me with food so when I go in, they peck me until I give them something.

 

I don't want to reinforce the pecking by giving them a treat every time but I'm finding it impossible to clean their run and coop unless I put some corn down to distract them away from me.

 

At first they were just pecking my boots which wasn't too bad but today one flew up and pecked my hand, taking a chunk out of the glove I was wearing!

 

Has anyone else experienced this and found a way to overcome it? Many thanks.

[Luvachicken]

Welcome to the fun world of keeping chickens

 

When I got my new chicks in May they pecked everything from the diamonds on my ring, to the moles on my arms, and then my fingers which must look like lovely pink bugs.

Now they are older they don't peck me as much.

Hopefully as yours get older they will peck less.

If I do get pecked I let out a squeal and wave my finger at them telling them not to do that. The squeal seems to make them think about what they have just done - I have really clever chickens

 

Would you be able to poo pick the run just after they have gone to bed so they are out of the way but it is still light enough for you to see ?

Could you shut the 'front' door of their house so you could clean it during the day ?

[sjp]

as you've worked out it's because they've realised that if they peck you they get treats and they more the peck the more they get treats this can work for you as well when you free range them as a had full of grain (I use wheat) thrown into the run is a quick way to get them back in the run. you could throw bit of grain into the coop to shut them in there to clean the run but that has a big draw back as they'll start to associate the bedding with a food source and scratch the bedding out into the run best way is to stop the treats.

it could also have been a bit of an aggressive behavior to start with just to let you know that you were intruding on there territory 2 weeks is about the right time frame for them to start to accept their new digs as home

it's one of those behaviors that can get worse if you keep rewarding them for it if yours going to free range them at some stage then that'll be the easiest time to clean the run

[Millie-Annie]

A water spray always works well I found.

[The Dogmother]

Ignore them, turn away with no eye contact and NO TREATS. Same as for dogs

[JenCat060]

Thanks for the advice everyone - I've seen an improvement already

[Alis girls]

I have a welly pecker - a with bad attitude. The other morning I was feeding them and am recovering from a chest infection - the cold weather made me cough loudly - poor little thing shot up in the air about 3 ft. - you could try coughing loudly.

[HampshireGardener]

This made me laugh because my Columbine pecks me on the back of my legs to chivvy me along with the treats and sometimes it can be quite sharp. A couple of months ago I broke my ankle and as I limped down the garden to their run in my surgical boot I could hear her tap tapping on the back of it to make me hurry. Some chickens have no manners!

[Charlie the chook lady]

My Penny (speckled sussex) has taken to pecking at me and almost "glaring" at me when I go in to their run, yes I feel I have accidentally endorsed it with giving them treats!  Weirdly tho when I hold out the food most of the time she is disinterested until I take 1 dried mealie worm and hand it to her. The other 2 are faverolles hen and roo and they are polite, the hen Josie is a guts and will gobble up the worms from my hand and the roo Jacques is very patient and will wait his turn. Mmm yes I think I have a little madam in penny