EE starting to bite

[rstampa]

My EE is 4 months old and just within the last couple of weeks she starting bitting my arms and now legs. So was always the friendliest of my birds. She use to let me pick her up and was the first that came running when I'd go out to the run. She still eats out of my hand but then she bites my arm, not peck, but bites. I'm just curiouser why the change in temperament. Any suggesting will be appreciated.

 

[canada-goose]

Whatever you do, don't jerk away when she bites. Jerking away gets them excited and they keep doing it. I know from experience that they can become nice again! No idea why it happens but I hope she'll quit it soon!

 

[Akane]

The friendliest chicks tend to make the boldest and sometimes the most aggressive chickens. When they start producing hormones they can become quite mean. After awhile they may settle back down again.

 

[Tala]

Are you SURE it's a she?

I had a rooster that turned into a biter around 16 weeks.

 

[Akane]

It may be more common with roos but aggressive chickens aren't always roos. I've had 2 hens that were friendly as chicks and started acting the same when they reached laying age. One is still quite bold but not violent enough to be dangerous and only pecks hard when the food and water hasn't been filled soon enough. One was dog food because she became so mean to both people and other hens.

 

[AngieChick]

I would stop feeding them out of my hand if I were you. Just put the treats on the ground for her. She'll still see that they are coming from you.

When they are laying age, they tend to sweeten up again.

 

[rstampa]

Thank you all for your comments and suggestion. I decided to try a little trick of my own. The other day when she bit my arm, I grabbed her by her throat very gently but she got the picture who was in charge. Hasn't tried to bit me since. Sometimes you just have to let them know who's boss. Just like dogs. When ever there is some sort of social order in animals it's always best to make yourself the alpha or head chicken.