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my 10 wk old girl jumps on me. what is she doing?

post #1 of 5
Thread Starter 

this girl is a 10 wk old silver laced wyandotte.  she has eaten out of my hand plenty of times.  just in the past week she has started jumping on me.  she'll fly up from behind & land on my shoulder.  one day, i was distracted & she jumped up & bit my finger.  she has never wanted me to hold her but now she will let me handle her all over.  i don't get it.

i would expect this from a rooster, but i'm surprised to have it coming from one of my sweet girls.

how should i respond to her, how should i react. 

what is she doing - seeking attention, trying to dominate, what?

thanks

post #2 of 5

maybe she just likes you, mine follow me all around

post #3 of 5

She's being aggressive, but she doesn't mean it like a rooster would. She is letting you know she trusts you and wants to be touched and handled by you. She's letting you know she has decided to "own" you. When she beaks you, it's meant to get your attention, not as a sign she's miffed with you. Chickens can only communicate touch by using their beaks. If you'd observe, hens will beak each other to keep the lesser status chickens in line, as well as using their beaks gently with each other during preening. 

 

In hens, this behavior is beneficial, and I never discourage it. It means you're an accepted member of the flock. I have quite a few like your girl. Next time she signals to you with her beak that she wants to be touched, pick her up and tuck her gently in the crook of your arm. Sit quietly, and soon you'll see her eyes close in contented satisfaction. 

 

When I have the time, I like to indulge in group hugs. I get down on my knees, bend over, open my arms, and the hens will move in close for hugs. I'll feel a pecking on my back, turn around, and there is a hen who feels left out. I reach around and include her in the group, and everyone is so content, when I back away, they're all still in a tight formation just like a racked bunch of cue balls. Good times. Today I had a record six-hen group hug.

 

One matronly, yet regal, Light Brahma hen, two Silver-laced Wyandotte hens, two Gold-laced Wyandotte hens, one Black Cochin hen, three Ameraucana hens, one Buff Brahma hen, four sassy Speckled Sussex hens, one Buff Brahma roo, and one nineteen-year old cat who's scared of all of them, especially the roo.

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One matronly, yet regal, Light Brahma hen, two Silver-laced Wyandotte hens, two Gold-laced Wyandotte hens, one Black Cochin hen, three Ameraucana hens, one Buff Brahma hen, four sassy Speckled Sussex hens, one Buff Brahma roo, and one nineteen-year old cat who's scared of all of them, especially the roo.

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post #4 of 5
Thread Starter 

thanks so much.  now i will know how to respond.  these girls are so special.  i haven't learned all their behavior ways yet.  i can read a dog or a cat, but chickens are a little different.

post #5 of 5

I have six Buff Orpington hens that were very distant at first. They would scatter when they saw me coming. They are now 16 weeks old and they fight over who gets on my lap. I bring a chair into their run and sit down with them. Two will fit on my lap, then a third will jump up knocking one off. Repeat this a few times over and it's pretty comical.
 

Jakk... Homeschooling mom of four kids, two dogs, three cats, 6 Buff Orpingtons hatched on Christmas Day, 16 Hatchery Choice Pullets, 6 TSC Red Pullets all hatched on 2/22, 8 babes hatched 3/21, 9 babies hatched on May 11th. Sixteen Easter Eggers hatched Sept 1, two White Ameraucana hatched Sept 5th...and trying to resist the urge to fill the incubator!

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Jakk... Homeschooling mom of four kids, two dogs, three cats, 6 Buff Orpingtons hatched on Christmas Day, 16 Hatchery Choice Pullets, 6 TSC Red Pullets all hatched on 2/22, 8 babes hatched 3/21, 9 babies hatched on May 11th. Sixteen Easter Eggers hatched Sept 1, two White Ameraucana hatched Sept 5th...and trying to resist the urge to fill the incubator!

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