woodlandd
Chirping
I have three seven month old buff orpington hens that I hand raised since they were five days old. One is exactly like you'd imagine an orpington to be like—incredibly sweet and docile and cuddly. The smallest one is more shy, louder, and doesn't like being held for long.
The biggest one is somewhat of a paradox. She loves sitting on my lap the most and will immediately start sunbathing and cuddling on me if I sit down, and absolutely adores scratches and pets. The moment she sees my fingers though, she'll clamp down on them. Hard. She knows it's the same hand that pets her and she sees me petting the other two, but she'll actively chase my hand if it's within 6 inches of her. She also likes to bite my mouth if it's within reach. I've bled several times from her doing this, but the other two have never bit me even once. I don't know why she does this. She's at the top of the pecking order for sure, but she still sees me as the rooster and will squat if I come near her.
These mixed behaviours are confusing me. She's been like this for at least a month or two, so I'm pretty sure its not just hormones. Any advice at all on how to change this or why she acts like this would be greatly appreciated.
The biggest one is somewhat of a paradox. She loves sitting on my lap the most and will immediately start sunbathing and cuddling on me if I sit down, and absolutely adores scratches and pets. The moment she sees my fingers though, she'll clamp down on them. Hard. She knows it's the same hand that pets her and she sees me petting the other two, but she'll actively chase my hand if it's within 6 inches of her. She also likes to bite my mouth if it's within reach. I've bled several times from her doing this, but the other two have never bit me even once. I don't know why she does this. She's at the top of the pecking order for sure, but she still sees me as the rooster and will squat if I come near her.
These mixed behaviours are confusing me. She's been like this for at least a month or two, so I'm pretty sure its not just hormones. Any advice at all on how to change this or why she acts like this would be greatly appreciated.