Buff Orp comes after me!

[mdbokc]

Mine are not purebreds, but are a hybrid cross with BO in them. They are all very friendly and like being handled. In fact, my 2 RIR are the most stand offish by far. I attribute the friendliness to how my daughter, in particular, cared for them from the day they were were just a couple of days old.

 

[Iwannachicken]

It's weird that this particular hen, Chickasaw, was the friendliest chick in the bunch. The other BO is very curious, always the first to the
food and huge.

The GLWs are skittish and will run away if I even raise my hand around them. We handled them a lot when they were
in the brooder, but not so much since they've been in the ark.

 

[WisconsinGardenChick]

Quote:
Interesting. We have a Barred Rock who acts like that. She is not aggressive - she was always the sweetest and friendliest of our chickens. But she does hang around clucking and pecks at me. It bothered me at first, but since it wasn't attack-like pecking, I decided that she just wants attention. She does stop the pecking once you pick her up or pet her for a few seconds. They are really crazy birds, aren't they?

Thanks for your comments - I learn so much here!

 

[mdbokc]

Mine get pets in the morning before they leave the coop and every night, before the lights go off. Crazy as it sounds, if standing there and they have eaten their fill (being that they load up just before bed), they get up on the roost and line up to get pets. I think the key has been that they are handled and make physical contact with us every day since we got them. In the better weather, if we are sitting in lawn chairs some will jump up on the leg and settle down to get pets and after awhile, jump back on the ground. Then another jumps up and the process repeats. About half do this.

I am thinking it is in the consistency...we never let off as time or circumstances change. I would encourage this if you want this kind of contact. Can't hurt. jmho

 

[Cetawin]

Well I am finding out that orps are drama queens. I have 2 BOs that are 1.5 years old, a blue and splash that are 10 weeks old. They scream bloody murder if you pick them up but are all in your face on their terms. One of my BOs is a sweetie and the other is a witch....so I think a lot of it is the individual bird. Just be consistent, handle them, talk to them and if she acts up, give her the head hen smackdown (gently) but let her know you rule the roost.

 

[Iwannachicken]

Okay, what is the hen head smack down.

Shoving her away didn't make any difference, she came right back at me.
These are (obviously) my first chickens and I'm not well versed in chicken body language. If it was a dog I'd know exactly
what to do with it.