Hens are friendly but also bitey

[arizona_chicken_noob]

My two Dominique hens (about 6mos old) love to see me when I come outside and hang around. They will peck and scratch at the cuff of my jeans and my boots, and then on occasion if I bend down they will aim to bite me.

I can work around this and we still get along, I just don't understand why they do it or if it's possible to train them out of it. Attempts to poke them sharply with my finger haven't really made lasting results.

One chicken does it more than the other and she very clearly knows to go for skin, and it does break the top layer sometimes. Ouch! And then other times she just wants to jump in my lap and hang out.

Chicken whisperers, what does it all mean?

 

[Poodlemum]

My Sapphire Gems are bitey too and not in the inquisitive way, they’re also about 6 months. I find that scooping them up and holding them until they stop biting, then pushing their head down into submission has helped. Good luck! It hurts!

 

[RHF]

They may grow out of it as well, I had half a dozen hens about that age that were very bitey but after a month or so they stopped biting and were pretty chill!
It seems to be almost like teething babies

 

[aart]

what does it all mean?

Have you been hand feeding them?

Attempts to poke them sharply with my finger haven't really made lasting results.

How sharply are you poking?
You have to be pretty assertive and make sure you hit your mark.


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.

 

[arizona_chicken_noob]

Great ideas @aart !

I gave them scrambled egg by hand to try and tame them when they were young and afraid of me. We haven't done that in some time now and all current foods go on the ground or in the feed tub. But they do have that memory.

My poking is pretty hard with my index finger and maybe I just haven't been persistent enough with it. I almost considered carrying a pen cap to poke them with for a little extra zip. Something more beak like.

Walked outside in sandals today.... Walked right back into the house for socks and shoes!

 

[Lor]

My poking is pretty hard with my index finger and maybe I just haven't been persistent enough with it. I almost considered carrying a pen cap to poke them with for a little extra zip. Something more beak like.

Walked outside in sandals today.... Walked right back into the house for socks and shoes!

Good thinking on both counts. (better shoes and the pen cap)

 

[bjdewell]

Have you been hand feeding them?


How sharply are you poking?
You have to be pretty assertive and make sure you hit your mark.


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.

Thanks! I really didn't think there was a way to solve this, but I'm going to try your suggestions.

 

[bjdewell]

My Sapphire Gems are bitey too and not in the inquisitive way, they’re also about 6 months. I find that scooping them up and holding them until they stop biting, then pushing their head down into submission has helped. Good luck! It hurts!

Mine are also six months old and only one of mine goes after me, but I sure don't like it! I'll try your suggestion and there are a couple of other ideas in other responses, so I should be able to get this stopped. Six months seems to be the common denominator. Thank you!

 

[Iluveggers]

@Shadrach has an article about the reasons chickens peck and how to tell the difference!

 

[Folly's place]

@aart is so right here! Peckpeckpeck, fast as possible, until the pullet moves away. Wear jeans, socks, and boots or shoes, always best out there anyway. One of our 2021 pullets has been like this, and by being very consistant, and firm, she seems to be over it. Finally. Now she follows me around, and it's cute, and at a respectful distance. She's pushy!
This spring sometime she tried one more time, a nice bite on my jeans. Would have been a wound if I was wearing shorts! She was not pleased by my response!
I don't hand feed, rather call the birds and toss treats on the ground.
Mary