how can i get her to trust me

[lcw1995]

i have this hen that is broody right now and just hatched out 3 chicks last nite
well i kno its a mother hens instict to protect her eggs/babies but i was wondering if theyre would b a way for me to get her to trust me around her and not try and rip my hand off when i get near her
shes even mean when she isnt broody
for example if shes up on the roost and i go to pet her she pecks my hand pretty hard too
so shes always had that mean streak in her
but im wondering if there would be anyway for me to get her to trust me and not kill my hand lol
there probably isnt but i guess its worth a shot to ask
thanks
cole

 

[stoopid]

Always have treats in the hand....

 

[lcw1995]

ive tried that before
all she does is attak my hand she dont want anything to do with me

 

[sourland]

Her top priority right now is the protection of her chicks. What she is doing is normal behavior for her. Leave her alone - that will cause her less stress and you won't get bitten.

 

[centrarchid]

I have games that can also be face floggers so close interaction required some experimentation. System that works best for me is to sit next to hen but not look at her. Try not to rile her. When chicks venture out from under her skirt, have an insect handy and gently toss it in front of chick. Do not look directly at chick. Repeat as needed.

Hand raised hens of same genetic background much easier to work with.

 

[lcw1995]

yeah, i forgot to mention as i just remembered this
mother hen was raised by a hen herself and on more then 1 occasion she escaped her pen and my dad liked her so much and didnt want to loose her he chased her down and put her back in the pen. so, maybe that has something to do with it. maybe shes scared of people because of that..could that be a possibilty?
whats interesting is, shes a nice hen if shes out in the yard or eating of whatever
shes mean if shes on the nest of if shes on the roost..
idk why that is but who knows lol
like i said, its not a big deal if shes mean, maybe shell keep all her chicks alive..hopefully this mean streak she has will help her lol

 

[centrarchid]

yeah, i forgot to mention as i just remembered this
mother hen was raised by a hen herself and on more then 1 occasion she escaped her pen and my dad liked her so much and didnt want to loose her he chased her down and put her back in the pen. so, maybe that has something to do with it. maybe shes scared of people because of that..could that be a possibilty?
whats interesting is, shes a nice hen if shes out in the yard or eating of whatever
shes mean if shes on the nest of if shes on the roost..
idk why that is but who knows lol
like i said, its not a big deal if shes mean, maybe shell keep all her chicks alive..hopefully this mean streak she has will help her lol

Hen raised in itself does not always lead to a cranky hen. If hen raised chicks are handled in a manner that does not rile hen, then when those chicks mature it will be like they were reared by hand. I will be using this technique with game hens from now on since getting flogged can also result in hen accidently harming chicks.

The chasing does not make handling later impossible but does not help your cause either.


For me, quickness to flog does mean more chicks. Most causes of chick mortality are influenced how well hen flogs, rather how good is she at finding food, keeping chicks warm and dry, and picking good places to sleep at night are likely more important.

 

[Ilovemyduckies]

All breeds are different. I think you may have gotten a more aggressive breed. You can't usually get a chicken to like you any more after they've grown out of there "chick" stage. You can always try. I hand fed my chickens every day for a while. I would also catch grass hoppers and give them to them. (although my flock is mostly ducks, so my chickens didn't get much of them). Although my chicken still gets nervous when I hold her, she has gotten a lot more used to me over the last few months. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I only had two chickens to start with, and a dog got one of them, so she felt lonely. So keep trying, it's not impossible.