Chicken chasing kids

[dunnmom]

I let my 4 year old feed treats to the chickens but I never allow him to kneel down or lean over, just to be cautious. He can only pet them if I am holding them, too. I had a few instances with peckish hens, but I’d peck them back with my finger, and it worked just fine for establishing dominance. As small as she is, a stick is probably a good idea because her shorter height and arm length may make her an easier target.

 

[Folly's place]

No bird gets near my face! She will need to establish herself as a human who brings food, not as a flock member. carrying a switch or something will help, and not getting on the ground at face level, and not feeding out of her hand. This pullet is being pushy, and she needs to push back, harder.
Also, wearing shoes and jeans, and never running away, but rather walking 'through' the birds so they move out of her way.
Mary

 

[centrarchid]

Feed bucket aggression. The behavior is learned and reinforced by person(s) doing the feeding. Males most prone, but females can do it too.

 

[aart]

I had a few instances with peckish hens, but I’d peck them back with my finger, and it worked just fine for establishing dominance.

Same here.

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.

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.

Might not work for a kid.

 

[Trish1974]

Could you have your daughter wear a pair of safety glasses or sunglasses when she is around the chickens? It only takes a second for a peck in the eye to come out of nowhere (trust me I know from experience). Next time she may not be so lucky. Better safe than sorry.

 

[Geena]

Could you have your daughter wear a pair of safety glasses or sunglasses when she is around the chickens? It only takes a second for a peck in the eye to come out of nowhere (trust me I know from experience). Next time she may not be so lucky. Better safe than sorry.

That's what I do. I keep a pair of safety glasses in a zip lock bag on a hook in each coop. That way I can easily put on a pair before handling my chickens and turkeys. I'm not a big person and with a chicken or particularly a turkey in my arms, their head is dangerously close to my face. Better safe than sorry!

 

[Biddybot]

Yikes, referring to the need for safety glasses. But in all seriousness, I was thinking about that just the other day when schmoozing with the young bachelor cockerals the other day. They're all big enough now to be able to reach my eyes when they perch on my thighs when I'm sitting, yet they've all turned out to be good eggs and I trust them to keep their beaks to themselves. Other cockerals in the past I haven't trusted that way...and they're the ones I normally wound up raising for roasters and butchering in the fall. I guess it's the same as with dogs. All those teeth right next to your face, yet some dogs you're comfortable with getting up close and personal, and others...ugh...you just get a bad vibe off them and want to keep them at arm's length even if they don't do a thing that's outwardly aggressive or threatening. At least it's easier to recycle bad-vibe chickens. The untrustworthy dogs...not so much.

I confess that every time I see a dominant chicken score a direct hit on a subordinate chicken's skull, I think of that Far Side cartoon with the cut line about the coconut-like sound of heads colliding. Because that's exactly what it sounds like. Klonk!

 

[Geena]

Yikes, referring to the need for safety glasses. But in all seriousness, I was thinking about that just the other day when schmoozing with the young bachelor cockerals the other day. They're all big enough now to be able to reach my eyes when they perch on my thighs when I'm sitting, yet they've all turned out to be good eggs and I trust them to keep their beaks to themselves. Other cockerals in the past I haven't trusted that way...and they're the ones I normally wound up raising for roasters and butchering in the fall. I guess it's the same as with dogs. All those teeth right next to your face, yet some dogs you're comfortable with getting up close and personal, and others...ugh...you just get a bad vibe off them and want to keep them at arm's length even if they don't do a thing that's outwardly aggressive or threatening. At least it's easier to recycle bad-vibe chickens. The untrustworthy dogs...not so much.

I confess that every time I see a dominant chicken score a direct hit on a subordinate chicken's skull, I think of that Far Side cartoon with the cut line about the coconut-like sound of heads colliding. Because that's exactly what it sounds like. Klonk!

The thing is they can't be trusted, even the nicest of chickens are still bird brained. Eyes are shiny and birds like to peck at shiny objects.
Also they can just unexpectedly flap their wings and catch you in the eye, which I can tell you from experience hurts like heck and I imagine could easily blind you.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

Today she was hold her and got her face to close and she pecked her in the eye. Lucky it was on her eyelid.

Stop making excuses and get rid of that bird before she blinds your child.

Jeez

Gary

 

[moniquem]

This is my first flock so I am learning chicken behavior. My barred rock who is the lead chicken out of 4 started bullying me when she was a few months old, prior to that she was really sweet. She started pecking my legs, rather hard, then she literally started jumping on my back when I was kneeling down. Trust me those nails are really painful when they rake you.

So every time I knelt down and she jumped on me I elbowed her off of me and not in the nicest way. And when she pecked my legs I bopped her with my foot. She doesn't do either anymore....