Hens pecking at a pullet when I an tending to it

[chicken8]

I have a 16 week old bantam cochin pullet and, amongst other birds, two 1.5yo buff orpingtons, one of which was the cochin's broody. Occasionally I have needed to check the cochin out and when I grab her she will usually squawk a bit and make a little struggle (she's a lot more mellow than my other pullets who have screamed bloody murder at the same treatment).

What's weird is that when I do this, the two buffs will run over and start to try to peck at the cochin as it sits in my hands. I always swat them away, but I am curious as to why these hens are doing this. Is it to make the pullet be quiet? Do they want in on the "action" and are indulging their inner bullies? They are otherwise pretty nice to the cochin, nicer than my POL RIR and BS.

 

[chicken8]

The one thing I do know is that chickens are weird.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I'm not exactly sure, but I've seen mine do it too. They even did it to a mean rooster I once had. I was trying to work with him and pinned him down, and they would come and peck him. I think they just can't resist beating one up when they are down.

 

[K-12 Chickens]

My older dominant hens do the same thing. My 3 year old ISA Brown hen only does it when I'm holding a lower ranking hen; if it's a higher ranking hen, she gets in big trouble when I release whoever I'm holding! She'll come up to me with one side raised up more than the other and peck at the ground before she attacks the other hen.