I'm intimidated by my hens..

[cristina]

My hens are 10 months old and I've had them for 1 whole week.
Thanks for the pointers everyone

 

[froggiesheins]

Quote:
X's 2

 

[kimntep]

I scold them if they peck too hard and I swear they look at me either like, "Oh, I'm sorry" or "Who do you think you are?" I'm the boss, that's who! They really are easy to please (bribe) with treats and that's the best way to establish trust all the way around, but make sure they remember who's boss!

 

[Barrdwing]

Most hens aren't going to peck with the intent of hurting. I have had them tug on my clothing with their beaks, but never my skin. I have oodles of freckles, and they do want to peck at those! I get around that by wearing long sleeves and not letting them get too curious about my face. I also have a chair out in the coop, and sit out there when I need a break. It's a lot of fun to watch the birds in motion, and it gives them a chance to get used to me. It also teaches them that I don't always have food!

While I have known a few roosters and one hen that were jerks, they were the exceptions to the rule. Most of our roos have gone through a pecking phase, and they quickly learned what "Stop that!" means. But they weren't serious about hurting me, they were just trying to bully me a bit. Once they learned that I was bigger and meaner than them, they settled for second place.

Generally a bird that wants to be nasty will tell you with its body language: it'll come in with its head high and probably the hackles on the neck will be all puffed out. If you watch the birds interact in the yard, you'll see how this works: a bossy hen will tell another to get out of her way by using this signal, and the other hen usually moves. If, on the other hand, a hen comes up more slowly with her head low, she's signalling that she doesn't want any trouble. Or if she's looking you over from head to toe, then she's very likely curious and not planning mischief. She just wants to know where you're hiding the food!

 

[mulewagon]

Mine do peck me on the legs, because they want to be picked up and carried around! Spoiled lazy chickens! It is pretty startling if I'm wearing shorts...sometimes I'll yell "Sit" and then remember that only works with the dog

 

[newchickgal]

Oh, this answers a lot of questions for me. We had gotten (6) day old chicks on Jan. 13. We gave all but two of them to a friend of ours when we thought we could tell who was a roo and who was a hen we only want to have two hens for eggs. Some how we wound up with one roo and one hen, so we traded back with our friend and got a hen back from her. The hen began pecking at me, not hard but I thought it was that she was trying to establish the pecking order since I was now a stranger to her. I thumped her (lightly) on the neck when she did that and it really surprised her. But then when I go back in their fenced area she'll do it again. Maybe she thinks she's the alpha hen?

 

[coralanna]

we have 31 hens and we have had them now for just over 3 weeks. got them at 20 weeks old. They love cabage. My wife feeds them treats every day, The first few days they would stay away from us and now they wont let you in the door because they all come running. I made a big misstake. I went in the coop with shorts on and they all started pulling the hair on my legs. lol didn`t hert. Every time I go in I have 20 or more pecking at my pants and shoes. They are just playing and if I try and pet them they squat and let me. At first it was one hem now it`s all of them. It will just take a little time to get used to how there pecks feel. They arn`t trying to hert you, there just playing with you. Hope this helps.

Alan

 

[hoping4better]

Time and treats . . .

Enough time with them and they'll get used to you and you'll get used to them. Treats will get them to come to you more quickly.

My hens don't peck me except on accident (eating out of my hand) or out of curiosity (nipping at the stitches in my sandals. They don't try to hurt me and it doesn't hurt. I had a rooster that tried pecking out of meanness as he was trying to show dominance. I quickly stopped that. (There's lots of threads on here about how to do that)

Time and treats though - show them you love them and they'll get used to you.

 

[Patricia Jane]

Bring a chair, have some chrickets or mealworms with you. Sit calmly and talk to them while tossing them the treats. Amazing the effect treats have on them. Time and patience helps. Spend as much time as you can with them. Mine peck at my shoes and try to jump up and peck the treats out of my hand (pushy girls) but I have never been pecked hard. I have only had mine since Jan. I have 2 barred rocks that love to be held and petted. We carry on quite a conversation. Some breeds of chickens just aren't as freindly as others and just prefer to be left alone. I have 2 others, columbian wyandotte and brown leghorn who hang around and follow me but don't really like to be bothered. Enjoy and have fun and

 

[Chicken.Lytle]

My hens attempt to remove fingers where I am holding treats or trying to make them do something that really ticks them off. Taking eggs or chicks from a broody ticks them off. Picking them up just leads to a bit of kicking and flapping.

Keep your eyes away from their faces. You will be fine.

If any of them are aggressive, try my Handling Rooster Aggression page for tips. Speed-walking after the offender is very effective. You are bigger than them, so don't worry about them hurting you or about staying out of their way.