Chicken pecks me.

[LER23]

Any shoes in particular that she pecks at??

Nope, just my calf, lol. My husband took care of the chickens while I was gone for a week and she is still one of the first to run up to me when I go into the yard but has only pecked me once, so now I'm wondering if the honeymoon is over

 

[LER23]

My Barred Rock girl, Cindy, does this. Begging - not wait - not begging commanding me to feed her. She likes some scratch grain and bread and wants it. She will not eat the regular chicken feed. She's a bit on the odd side. It's only when I'm late for feeding time though. I think she is punishing me in her own chicken way. She pulls on my pants and pecks at my ankles. I really don't understand Cindy, and Cindy just doesn't understand that I had to be somewhere today and wasn't here to feed her at 12:30 PM sharp. Boy Cindy, I am your keeper and I decide when and what I'm going to feed you for the day.

What breed is she?? If it just when you wear certain clothing or shoes. My rooster, Jack, is a very nice boy until I bring out the yellow jacket and then he turns the most aggressive little jerk. I really want to keep him for when he is a nice boy, so I don't wear that jacket around or in the chicken area. If it is curtain clothing I would only wear them in the house or out somewhere. Try not to wear them in the chicken run.

This is not story even though it sounds a bit far fetched. I have heard of many chickens doing this and that's really all you can do. If you do some looking around, you will probably find over a dozen threads seeing what this is. It is really common in roosters but can also be seen in hens. I'm really not sure what causes this in a chicken, although bright, flashy colors can make a chicken have certain reactions.

Sometimes we can't really understand why chickens act the way they do but we just have to go with sometimes and listen to them. Who knew the chickens could be the boss of what you wear around them!

I don't know what breed. She was supposed to be a Production Blue, but she lays olive eggs, so she is an Olive Egger, I guess.

 

[LER23]

Any shoes in particular that she pecks at??

Nope, she pecks at my pant legs, which are almost always jeans.

 

[Bella Dominique]

I have one chicken that, when I come into the free range area, follows me and pecks me. Just once, on the back of the calf. It doesn't seem like an attack, more like a demand. Does anyone else have chickens who do peck you in a similar manner, and have you figured out why, in your case, they do this?

My 2 Barred Rocks will peck me if I’m standing still. Not hard enough to break the skin but more like a pinch. Harder than I like but they’re very friendly girls so I just avoid it if I can by watching for it. My brother had a Barred Rock that did the same thing.

 

[RubyLady]

My 20 week old pullets do this all the time, the friendly ones that sit on my lap or hang out with me when I come sit. It's their way of getting my attention and being friendly. It's fine as long as they aren't actually attacking you. I've had a couple of love pecks break the skin under my jeans, but they can't help it. They have sharp pointy beaks and sometimes their pecks do hurt quite a bit. My older hens don't do this at all, but I got them when they were older and the ones our broody hen hatched I couldn't get close to. These are younger ones I raised so I'm raising them to be able to be picked up and friendly so they don't run away, they peck at me and are friendly. That's the price for not having to chase them all over creation if I need to pick them up to check them in future.

 

[nashua]

I have one chicken that, when I come into the free range area, follows me and pecks me. Just once, on the back of the calf. It doesn't seem like an attack, more like a demand. Does anyone else have chickens who do peck you in a similar manner, and have you figured out why, in your case, they do this?

Yes, I have a wheaten Easter Egger than has done this since she was tiny. She seems to just want attention. She does other things to sort of show off, too. She is 5 years old now.

 

[Ruthimae621]

I have one chicken that, when I come into the free range area, follows me and pecks me. Just once, on the back of the calf. It doesn't seem like an attack, more like a demand. Does anyone else have chickens who do peck you in a similar manner, and have you figured out why, in your case, they do this?

I have one or 2 that Will occasionally do this. They don't peck me hard. when I looked down and say no firmly they just look at me like I'm crazy lol! I think they're asking for treats!

 

[Rancher by day]

I have one chicken that, when I come into the free range area, follows me and pecks me. Just once, on the back of the calf. It doesn't seem like an attack, more like a demand. Does anyone else have chickens who do peck you in a similar manner, and have you figured out why, in your case, they do this?

1/5/24- Yes, I have an Australorp that pecks when I bring feed treats. I just say, do you want to eat? I do feel like she's just saying hi, I'm right here, notice me, me first. She doesn't always do this. Maybe some days she's just hungrier. Sometimes it's a pick at my pants or could be my boots. I don't mind this gesture.

 

[LER23]

1/5/24- Yes, I have an Australorp that pecks when I bring feed treats. I just say, do you want to eat? I do feel like she's just saying hi, I'm right here, notice me, me first. She doesn't always do this. Maybe some days she's just hungrier. Sometimes it's a pick at my pants or could be my boots. I don't mind this gesture.

Yes, I feel the same, a demand for attention. I sort of like it, even that she sneaks up from behind.

 

[birdlady11]

Only one of my chickens, Trumpet, does that. If I'm in the coop and she thinks I'm doing something with treat food and she wants my attention she gives me a really hard peck to my calf (I'm usually in shorts since I'm in Florida). It hurts like heck but it certainly gets my attention. I can yelp and shout " STOP THAT!!!" until I'm blue in the face but she just stands there looking up at me as though say "I'm right HERE so hand some of those goodies over!" She won't go away until she gets something. I try to never reward her with a treat directly after a peck and make her wait patiently for a few minutes to get the treat. Needless to say she is NOT a patient chicken and just keeps up her reminders until I either give her what she wants or I leave the coop.