New hen pecking me constantly

[Petra Pancake]

Two weeks ago I bought 2 fully grown, laying Leghorn hens to boost our egg yield. They are still quarantined in a makeshift coop an run. The dominant one is a bad human-pecker. As soon as I get my hands anywhere near her, when refilling food and water, she pecks me and tries to rip the food bag out of my hands. She even jumps up a meter when I hold the bag high. She also pecks me when I just open the door or do anything else in the coop. Yesterday I got fed up and took a thin stick to (gently) "peck" her back. But that just made her very jumpy and afraid of me.
How can I make her stop pecking me constantly?

 

[Altfrizzle]

Pick her up and carry her around, is what I do.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

This is Mabel

Pick her up and carry her around, is what I do.

X2 my leghorns would peck me sometimes especially if I was gardening. They even broke skin a few times. Just show them love and they’ll reciprocate.

 

[Frazzemrat1]

From a behavior stand point, you did right, but I would have poked with my fingers instead of a stick. She basically established herself higher than you in the pecking order, and was making you give up the food to her, thereby confirming her status. Pecking her back and keeping her from 'your' food for a little while before leaving the run is perfectly ok.

 

[Petra Pancake]

Thanks to all, I'll try both approaches and see what works best in my setting.

 

[Folly's place]

I think that the reason picking the bird up and 'loving' on it sometimes works, is that as a prey animal, the whole series of events is actually a correction, not seen as positive at all by the bird.
That's not how chickens respond to each other! A ' peck' works because it's also a correction, the same as another chicken would act.
She is being very rude, and dangerous, and it won't be good if she connects with your eye!
Is this why she was rehomed?
Mary

 

[chickens really]

I'm totally the opposite...Chickens chase each other off and request respect from lower members. My Birds know to stay a respectful distance from me or I use my Boot to push them away..I'm top Hen here..When I feed a snack of Apple or anything they all come running although stay back till I place the snack on the ground and walk away..You don't need to be mean to them..Just act like a Chicken and then they understand.

 

[aart]

Have had this happen several times, mostly with hand fed chicks often as they come of age and get spunky. It's pretty easily curbed with calm and deliberate determination. Might take longer with new and/or older bird.

I peck them back, on the head or anywhere I can reach, with the tips of thumb and first 2 fingers, as hard and fast as many times as I can before they get away. Well, not hard enough to hurt them, just startle them and let them you mean business. That's what another chicken would do, so they understand that kind of communication.

If that doesn't work after a couple applications, I hold them down to the ground with my hand on their back until they submit....again firmly enough to get the job done but not hurt them....add a few finger pecks and/or tug on the feathers on the back of their neck.

 

[MIchickenlady]

I only have 4 B.O.'s, 22 weeks old, and Ive hand fed them, let them sit on my lap, and learned quick to not allow them near my face. I thought they just pecked me out of curiosity, but two of them are getting more aggressive with it lately. I just start petting them, stroking their back or underside a bit and they back off. If Im doing chicken chores and they peck at me I push them back slow and steady and say no, or pet them and they stop.

 

[Petra Pancake]

She is being very rude, and dangerous, and it won't be good if she connects with your eye!
Is this why she was rehomed?
Mary

I just don't let her reach my face (and I wear glasses anyway ), but you're right.

I have been wondering - the seller, a teenage kid, didn't really tell me why he was selling her and her companion. I did notice that her upper beak has been shortened quite severely, cut off by the look of it. There must have been a reason for this...

Well, I'll try to "re-educate" her.