Hen that bites

[dawn81]

I have a 1 yr old hen that bites me when I feed them out of my hand. It is intentional because she goes for skin instead of food and the peck is veey hard

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us! Ouch! Hopefully she'll stop.

 

[torilovessmiles]

They do that sometimes. Chickens peck hard at the ground normally so they don't realize it hurts you when they're eating out of your hands.
What hurts is when a rooster does it!

 

[dawn81]

I think she knew what she was doing because ive hand fed her before and it didnt hurt

 

[torilovessmiles]

I think she knew what she was doing because ive hand fed her before and it didnt hurt

I don't think chickens are quite that self aware. They peck at food or they peck when they feel threatened. If she's eating food out of your hand, I doubt it's due to aggression.
She may be particularly hungry or excited about her food, so she's pecking harder. Since she is 1 year old, you probably didn't notice it before because she wasn't as strong when she was still growing

 

[dawn81]

Everyone but her ate fromme but she seemed kinda not sure of me.....I've had her since april

 

[Chick o Dee]

Welcome to BYC ! I hope your hen gets better at not pecking your hand.

 

[dawn81]

Me too I guess I need to handfeed everyday instead of every now and then

 

[Chick o Dee]

I know I hand fed all my chickens from when they were chicks and still hand feed. Even some of my friendliest hens occasionally bite me.

 

[drumstick diva]

There are a few approaches to this. When she bites hard, give her a flick of your finger to whatever body part is closest while saying NO!! If she tries to do it again, pick up stakes and walk off. Treat counter is closed. Or when she bites you give out a loud OW and walk away - no treats. Don't reward bad behavior.