Hen Aggression or Attention Seeking?

[zachcpierce]

Ok, so this is a bit odd and i just wanted to ask if anyone else has this happen? I have 3 EE and an Orp. When i go to pick up my (docile) Orp, the same EE always runs over like shes coming at me and on a couple of occasions she has jumped up and scratched my hand or arm. The Orp almost always squats and waits for me to pet her or pick her up. The EE is not really into being petted or picked up usually, but recently she has started squatting after running up to angrily check out the situation. So i will pat her on the back and she fluffs and walks off. She got me pretty good on the elbow yesterday and i stood up to check out the damage and she just squatted and waited for me to pet her?

Is this chicken jealousy or she just defending her flockmate?

 

[AppleMomma65]

Ok, so this is a bit odd and i just wanted to ask if anyone else has this happen? I have 3 EE and an Orp. When i go to pick up my (docile) Orp, the same EE always runs over like shes coming at me and on a couple of occasions she has jumped up and scratched my hand or arm. The Orp almost always squats and waits for me to pet her or pick her up. The EE is not really into being petted or picked up usually, but recently she has started squatting after running up to angrily check out the situation. So i will pat her on the back and she fluffs and walks off. She got me pretty good on the elbow yesterday and i stood up to check out the damage and she just squatted and waited for me to pet her?

Is this chicken jealousy or she just defending her flockmate?

Watching your thread. I also have an EE but the other chick that loves to be picked up and petted is an Austra White. When the EE sees this, she's all over me, running, "screaming." It has helped a bit that I take out the EE, put one hand cupped on the front/breast of her, then gently stroke her head and back. Not sure at all what the behavior is about - do chickens know jealousy? Chicks are 4 weeks old and at first I thought my EE was the top of the pecking order, but now I'm seeing she's being challenged by my Jersey Giant and my Barred Rock so I'm not sure if that's it either ...

 

[Folly's place]

Is this EE the boss of the flock? Or is she just happy to attack you? How old are these birds?
Regardless of what her motivation actually is, you can stop this! Wear jeans, shoes, and long sleeves out there to protect yourself too.
Does she move out of your way when you are walking through the flock? Don't walk around her, make her move instead! You can carry a feed bucket, or a stick, and accidently bump her if she doesn't move, just like you would do with a pushy cockerel.
If she's made contact, peck her back, fast and hard enough to annoy her; peck peck peck, really fast!
Make sure your tetanus vaccine is up to date too.
Mary

 

[zachcpierce]

the orp is older the 3 ee are just under a year and are sisters, the orp is the biggest and overall the boss of the flock, within the ee, shes not the boss and the other two are like two peas in pod so the one being aggro is like the odd one out but out of all three ee, she is often paired up with the orp while the other two sisters are jousting, i think she just wants attention to be honest, she was also the one that survived a hawk attack but im starting to think maybe she attacked the hawk... lol

 

[rosemarythyme]

I don't really know why they do it but I know if I try to pick up or handle my BO in line of sight of my tiniest EE, the EE will run up and try to attack the BO. Since I know she'll do this, I either 1) don't handle the BO in front of the EE or 2) pick the BO up and stand up so the EE can't do anything but stare, then after doing whatever it is I need to do, I put her down elsewhere so the EE has no reason to start in on her.

 

[aart]

Have had this happen several times, mostly with hand fed chicks often as they come of age and get spunky. It's pretty easily curbed with calm and deliberate determination.

I peck them back, on the head or anywhere I can reach, with the tips of thumb and first 2 fingers, as hard and fast as many times as I can before they get away. Well, not hard enough to hurt them, just startle them and let them you mean business. That's what another chicken would do, so they understand that kind of communication.

If that doesn't work after a couple applications, I hold them down to the ground with my hand on their back until they submit....again firmly enough to get the job done but not hurt them....add a few finger pecks and/or tug on the feathers on the back of their neck.