Chicken wont stop charging at me and trying to bite my feet.

[SwampPrincessChick]

Yeah she gets a small running start usually. She's broken skin twice now.

Whenever my hens bite me too hard, I will reach down and tap them roughly in the back to tell them no. It usually works, and I recommend it.

 

[tlcmurphy]

The first year we had chickens, my daughter went into the run in sandals with freshly painted toenails. She won’t make THAT mistake again

 

[Ponypoor]

It's been going on awhile. I'll be walking by our chicken and she'll either be fine or she'll make a charge at me and nip my foot. She has broken skin several times. She doesn't do this to my partner at all. Though she has had attitude problems before but is generally good and we can both pick her up to hold her to be be pet or hugged etc. She just has these aggressive moments that I don't understand.

i've tried some of the dominance stuff but she still goes for it. Or she'll stand up tall to fight when i push her back with my arm or leg. She's only laid eggs a small handful of times a few months ago and hasn't since. She's only about 9 months old. View attachment 3561924

I have ‘inherited’ my nieces older (4 yrs) hens and the one black sexlink is a real piece of work. Today she went after me as I went to move her into her night space. I grabbed her and pretty much made her realize I was bigger than she was. It was a calm deliberate grab and hold till she stopped struggling and fighting. Once she stopped I calmly finished herding her into the pen.

My chickens are handled from day one and have never been aggressive with me (not counting randy young Roos), I can remove eggs, handle chicks, check the conditions of the birds. All without losing fingers it just takes repetition and calm behaviour. Hopefully Raven isn’t too old to learn to behave

 

[thecatumbrella]

I have ‘inherited’ my nieces older (4 yrs) hens and the one black sexlink is a real piece of work. Today she went after me as I went to move her into her night space. I grabbed her and pretty much made her realize I was bigger than she was. It was a calm deliberate grab and hold till she stopped struggling and fighting. Once she stopped I calmly finished herding her into the pen.

My chickens are handled from day one and have never been aggressive with me (not counting randy young Roos), I can remove eggs, handle chicks, check the conditions of the birds. All without losing fingers it just takes repetition and calm behaviour. Hopefully Raven isn’t too old to learn to behave

I know this is an old thread, but do you have any advice for how to hold on to them while they're struggling? I'm having a biting problem and can't seem to figure out how to secure them. I do the hand between the legs/squeeze the thighs together with wings held down, but those ladies are strong! I don't want to hurt them while I'm waiting out their tantrum.

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

I know this is an old thread, but do you have any advice for how to hold on to them while they're struggling? I'm having a biting problem and can't seem to figure out how to secure them. I do the hand between the legs/squeeze the thighs together with wings held down, but those ladies are strong! I don't want to hurt them while I'm waiting out their tantrum.

Hold them tightly by their legs and wait out their tantrum that way. When they stop, quickly take your hands off their legs and grab around them, putting your thumb above their wings and the rest below, with your pinkie finger at the backs of their legs. You have to be quick or they will get away. They might end up continuing to throw a tantrum, but mine usually give up after that. Or, you can just hold them tightly to your stomach and hold one hand around their neck so they can not thrash around their head.

(Note that you never should hold a chicken upside down, or any bird in general. A chicken's ribs are dangerously close to organs such as their heart and lungs, and squeeze against them when they are turned upside down, which could kill them at any second.)