our tetra tint pullet is becoming more and more obnoxious about pecking us when feeding the chickens in the coop. How do you discourage this our 8 year old daughter refuses to feed them anymore unless i go out and pick up this chick and hold onto her while she feeds them. and honestly i am getting annoyed with daily pecking ritual too. is this just the tetra tint overly happy way of showing appreciation for her humans or signs of agression?
Sounds like she's looking to be the dominant hen. Is she pecking your body, or is she pecking at treats and missing? If it's your body, she's trying to lay down the law on you. If she's missing when she tries for treats, she has a vision problem. If it's the dominance behavior I've described above, you can put your fingers together to make a 'beak', and peck her right back. Or, if she doesn't respond to that, hold her down to the ground (be firm, but don't squish). Pushing and holding her to the ground is like ultimate chicken dominance, she'll get the message if both you and your daughter do it.
