Aggressive or Friendly?

[Anna_MN]

I was just outside letting the girls out for the morning. I had a neon pink bucket in my hand that had kitchen scraps in it and was dispersing them around the run. It was beginning to thunder out and I was turning to walk out and one of my EE flew up onto my shoulder. This has never happened to me before and I was very scared to say the least. It began to rain so she jumped down and continued on with her business. Now that I'm thinking about it, was she being friendly or aggressive? She wasn't on my shoulder long enough to peck at me or scratch me but I feel like if she really wanted to hurt me she would have held on longer. What do you think? She has never been aggressive before, but pretty flightly around me.

 

[azygous]

Your EE is demonstrating her trust and fondness for you, not aggression. My EEs are the first ones to establish intimate relationships with me in the brooder, hopping onto my shoulder when I got to clean it. Then when they grow to adulthood, they continue to be the lap hens of the flock.

 

[katescountryfarm]

My phoenix hens have started do the same thing. I think they are starting to trust me and I also have treats! Yesterday one was perched on my shoulder like a parrot.

 

[donrae]

Sorry, birds don't jump on each other cause they trust or like each other. They jump on each other to establish dominance. In the entire animal kingdom an animal of lower status does not touch or jump on an animal of higher status uninvited. Just does not happen. Now, if you want your bird on your shoulder and invite her up, or on your lap or whatever, that's fine. But it should be at YOUR say, not the birds. YOU are the human, you are smarter and the boss.

 

[katescountryfarm]

I'm sure it's the fact I have treats with me. Just like any other creature they see it and they will come. Heck even my kids come running when they see I bought freeze pops LOL

 

[terryg]

She's being friendly. I don't think she's trying to be dominant. But, hens are greedy and pushy when it comes to food! I don't want my hens to climb on me uninvited, and I don't want them to peck at me for treats. I never feed from my hand. My chickens come to me and know that I'll toss food at my feet. Since I do school (and soon nursing home) visits with my hens, they need to be calm and well-behaved. Just like with dogs, hens can be trained to be polite. You can see how friendly and trusting the girls are on this youtube video. http://hencam.com/faq/getting-your-hens-to-come-when-called/
(I also have a youtube video of how to pick up a hen, for those newbies out there not sure how.)

 

[katescountryfarm]

I love the picture Terryg! Very true birds can be trained like dogs!

 

[Anna_MN]

Thank you for your responses! She hasn't done anything strange like this since then.