Buff Orpington Hen Pecks My 21 Month Old

[lkcaffery]

I have four urban chickens (all hens), all of which we've had since they were a day old. They are now nearly 19 weeks old. Our Buff Oprington is the biggest of the four. My 21 month old loves the chickens and every evening we let them out of the coop into the yard for an hour or more while we supervise and enjoy the "chicken TV." If my 21 month old gets too close to the BO, the BO will peck her on her hand, always breaking the skin. My partner is not happy about this at all. I've been pecked by the BO once before when I picked her up to return her to the coop but didn't think much of it because I assume I threatened her by picking her up. I chose each of our four breeds (BO, Salmon Favorelles, Silkie and EE) for their stated temperament. I really wanted at least one "lap chicken" and thought the BO would be that chicken but none of ours really seem to be endeared to us. Perhaps we didn't handle them enough when they were chicks? What do I do about the BO pecking my 21 month old? Just keep her away from the BO? Will the chickens eventually be endeared to us? The EE used to fly up and perch on us but has stopped doing that. The Salmon Favorelles is the most aloof. Thanks in advance for any thoughts or advice!

 

[jecombs]

Are you chickens laying yet? I have 2 BOs that were really stand-off-ish until they started laying, then they got really snuggley and friendly. One of my BOs does peck my feet if I'm wearing strappy sandals... I think the straps look like worms to her. Is it possible you BO sees something on your child that she thinks is edible or looks like a bug or worm?

 

[lkcaffery]

None of our girls are laying yet although I heard the egg song TWICE this morning for the first time, although I don't know who sang it (although I do know it was not the silkie). I ran outside to check, just in case, but no egg. However, the BO is the most red and has the biggest waddles so far. It is always my child's wrist that gets pecked and I'm not sure anything around the wrist would look like any kind of chicken treat. Thanks for your response!

 

[rubycanyon]

We have a Silver Laced Wyandotte that, a couple of weeks before she started laying, turned agressive towards me. She would run after me and peck my hands and sometimes my ankles. I made sure she knew that I was the boss by picking her up and carrying her around the yard everytime she did this. She did show improvement and now that she is laying, she is the most gentile and sweet chicken we have. I kind of chalked it up to her hormones going a little bit crazy, like pms We also have a BO that is completely uninterested in human contact, which I thought was uncharacteristic of the breed from what I had heard. I'm hoping that she, too, will become more friendly once she begins to lay. She's just over 20 weeks so it should be soon. Good luck. It's hard to know exactly what to do in these situations.

 

[lkcaffery]

I am so encouraged by these responses!

 

[Chubby Chicken]

I have four urban chickens (all hens), all of which we've had since they were a day old. They are now nearly 19 weeks old. Our Buff Oprington is the biggest of the four. My 21 month old loves the chickens and every evening we let them out of the coop into the yard for an hour or more while we supervise and enjoy the "chicken TV." If my 21 month old gets too close to the BO, the BO will peck her on her hand, always breaking the skin. My partner is not happy about this at all. I've been pecked by the BO once before when I picked her up to return her to the coop but didn't think much of it because I assume I threatened her by picking her up. I chose each of our four breeds (BO, Salmon Favorelles, Silkie and EE) for their stated temperament. I really wanted at least one "lap chicken" and thought the BO would be that chicken but none of ours really seem to be endeared to us. Perhaps we didn't handle them enough when they were chicks? What do I do about the BO pecking my 21 month old? Just keep her away from the BO? Will the chickens eventually be endeared to us? The EE used to fly up and perch on us but has stopped doing that. The Salmon Favorelles is the most aloof. Thanks in advance for any thoughts or advice!

You have to handle chicks a lot, everyday. Most chickens don't want to cuddle.
You might try to teach the child that pets don't always feel like being played with. In real life, Elmira would get bitten and scratched.