chickens attacking me!!

[Ema]

I have 21 red stars and most of them are fine but there is several of them that as soon as I enter the coop begin to gawk loudly and then they follow me around pecking at me every chance they got. they go viciously for the hands and if I bend down they try the face. its getting annoying and one of them made me bleed yesterday. they also peck at my shoes and pants and coat mercilessly. Is this normal behaviour or are they just getting out of hand. I used to have a broom I would bring in with me, and shoo them away by putting the broom near them but they are not scared of the broom anymore lol. Ohh I should mention they are getting worse with the pecking now that they are finally laying!! and I have no roo in case anyone is wondering.

 

[tuesdays chicks]

grab the 1st 1 that goes for you and carry her around the yard while you work, or put her in a dog crate for awhile, then do it to the next 1, or even when you feed them prevent the nasty girls from eating right away if necessary use the broom whack them show them your top hen and your not going to take the pecking, if all else fails. get rid of them. soup.

 

[Ema]

LOL...my husband said if they don't stop they will become roasted chickens. It really hurts when they do that but I just don't get it. the others follow me around and let me pet them and pick them up. No issues. but these few are nasty little buggers. I might just have to take your advice and see what happens. I don't want to be mean to them by any means but holy crap one of them went after my 2 yr old the other day, and they have never done that before, I let him in the run with me and I allow him to put the lettuce or what ever other treat down. I think its 3 or 4 that are high strong like that. My son is now scared to go into the run even with me!!

 

[crj]

You have to be very careful with chickens around little ones. Chickens will peck at there eyes thinking they are grapes. Picking the chickens up and carrying them is a good idea. It shows that you are the boss hen. I look at mine straight in the eye and tell them to knock it off and tuck them under my arm and do what I have to for a while then let them go. If they stand there and stare are you you stare back and make them back down. Don't you back down first. Big no no.

 

[Ema]

Quote:
there lies my issue then, not the backing down part but I think in order not to step on them I tread carefully around them, maybe the hens are taking this as I am weaker then them and they are trying to assert themselves to me. so I will have to teach them I AM THE BOSS not them.

 

[newbiechickenowner]

You definately need to take back control of the coop

We noticed that the kids were having a hard time when they would go in and out of the coop and I thought they were just being dramatic...not with aggressive chickens per se, but, they would try to force their way out of teh run or coop to free-range whenevery they would open the door (we have dogs so we have to rotate ranging at the moment). Anyway, I finally really watched the progress and realized that the kids were being "too nice" and trying not to shoo or step on them, etc. Whereas, I enter and anyone charging out gets a swift shove with teh foot back and out of my way....they have learned to respect my feet (or most) and this is really important as I have a favorite chicken who is ALWAYS underneath them and you will eventually end up squashing one of the little suckers. So, be aggressive and have them "make way" for you when you are walking in. They will learn to be grubber/beggers from about 1-2 feet away from your feet VERY quickly. Also, the dominant thing with carrying them and correcting them immediately if they try to be boss in front of you is great advice.

 

[Ema]

Quote:

I am just being too nice, makes perfect sense!! and my chickens too run for the door every time I open it, will have to correct that too!!
thanks so much for the advice I thought maybe they were getting more aggressive because of their eggs. lol

 

[Ema]

its 7 p.m here now and the sun is going down so I went to lock the girls in the coop for the night. of course I brought them fresh water and the same 4 came at me. I took your advice and spooked them away. I had the big blue bucket full of water and only one free hand. When I put the bucket down they rushed it so I swatted them away because they always knock it over and then I have to go refill. No idea why they do this because they always have water I just make sure to top up for the night. anyhow after a few swats they backed off the bucket but the one hen came at me again. seeing I only had one free hand I placed it on her back and kept her from moving. she went all quiet and then after a few moments I let her go, I have to say not a single peck and I was able to refill the water without them knocking it over. and I think tomorrow they might need a reminder but now I know what I have to do until they get the hang of things. thanks for your suggestions they do work and I am happy about that.

Ema

 

[nkacerek]

Great advice as I am having the same issue currently!

 

[newbiechickenowner]

If you do get a roo....remember this advice too. You REALLY have to show dominance with most roos....don't let them eat until everyone else is there, don't let them mate in front of you, don't let them do any dominant things to the hens in front of you in any way without making a commotion...this can make the difference between a well behaved roo and "dinner"

We have never made dinner of our poultry, but, we have had to relocate 2 roos because they got too much for the kids or too much for the girls, one or the other. So glad it is working