American Gamefowl

[Chicken Heel]

I have a couple hens who fly up on my arms, shoulders, or head because they want me to give them treats when they see the magic silver bowl. Game hens don't attack unless you are messing with their chicks, in my experience.

I agree with this especially the aggressiveness when they have diddles. My Pa Shook had one that lit me up when I followed her into the barn with them. That was a lesson learned as a four year old that has lasted the sixty years since.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Also agree, hens aren’t generally aggressive to humans unless they have biddies. Sometimes they’ll bite when handled. Depends on the hen and the specific circumstances.

Sounds like she may have just been spooking at your presence.

Some of my game hens will fly up on my shoulders or head when waiting for me to throw some scratch out.

 

[KF0002]

Just wanted to share the interesting birds that are being thrown from our Deadend Greys. One pair in particular started throwing the birds, so we are reinforcing the genes through line breeding. The stags are coming with fawn or cream colored breasts, and the hens are coming silver breasted, and some are nearly solid silver.

 

[KF0002]

This is the cock that originally threw the odd birds in the previous post.

And this is a normal looking stag that was thrown.

The stags all need to be trimmed (dubbed) still.

 

[Chicken_Obsesser]

Following!

 

[Backroadlogic]

 

[Wild Iris]

I agree with this especially the aggressiveness when they have diddles. My Pa Shook had one that lit me up when I followed her into the barn with them. That was a lesson learned as a four year old that has lasted the sixty years since.

The game hen I mentioned before is now sitting on a nest with eleven eggs. She lived with the flock (not in a crate) for about a month. Although she roosted in a nearby tree and could fly over the fence, she would spend 2/3 of her day inside the chicken yard with the flock, and the other third just outside the fence, foraging. Her nest is under an unusued lawn mower, under a roof beside the shed and near our house. I would expect she is fairly safe from most predators except snakes.

Advice on what to do when the chicks begin to hatch? Do I let her raise them according to her own preferences and keep my hands to myself? Do I try to move them all to an XL crate located under a shelter, behind a fence, & near the rest of the flock? The chicken owners I know say to move the chicks to the crate and she will follow, but none of them have game hens. She is a very sweet hen and fairly trusting of me, but I have very little experience. If left to her own devices, how would you expect her and the chicks to behave as she rears them? Would they integrate with the rest of the flock? What risks am I running, either way?

 

[Chicken_Obsesser]

I once had a chicken run away to go hatch babies in the woods, and the day we found her, all fourteen chicks got taken by predators...If you kept her supervised and interfered a little bit with her raising them, I think they'd be okay.

 

[sdm111]

The game hen I mentioned before is now sitting on a nest with eleven eggs. She lived with the flock (not in a crate) for about a month. Although she roosted in a nearby tree and could fly over the fence, she would spend 2/3 of her day inside the chicken yard with the flock, and the other third just outside the fence, foraging. Her nest is under an unusued lawn mower, under a roof beside the shed and near our house. I would expect she is fairly safe from most predators except snakes.

Advice on what to do when the chicks begin to hatch? Do I let her raise them according to her own preferences and keep my hands to myself? Do I try to move them all to an XL crate located under a shelter, behind a fence, & near the rest of the flock? The chicken owners I know say to move the chicks to the crate and she will follow, but none of them have game hens. She is a very sweet hen and fairly trusting of me, but I have very little experience. If left to her own devices, how would you expect her and the chicks to behave as she rears them? Would they integrate with the rest of the flock? What risks am I running, either way?

Chances are they will get picked off one by one. If left to be raised by her in the wild

 

[Wild Iris]

I once had a chicken run away to go hatch babies in the woods, and the day we found her, all fourteen chicks got taken by predators...If you kept her supervised and interfered a little bit with her raising them, I think they'd be okay.

Chances are they will get picked off one by one. If left to be raised by her in the wild

What is the best way to move the chicks without her attacking me? What warning signs does she give that she might attack? What precautions do I take? Will she come off the nest occasionally like she does when brooding? I might pile them into a basket when she's gone for a sec and then move them.