OK so a a while back I had a beautiful Buff Orpington hen named Buffy. She was so sweet and gentle. I could pick her up, my son and I would pet her and feed her by hand. Unfortunately she some how got into the dog kennel and was killed.
So I got another one, her name is Goldie and she is 18 weeks old now. She isn't as friendly as the first one (I couldn't spend as much time hand raising her as I did Buffy). So she won't eat out of my hand or even come near me really. She won't run from me but does keep her distance. I can live with that.
The things is she will run after my 3 year old son when he runs or rides his tricycle. She doesn't attack him (at least not yet) but she will put her head down and "charge" after him. When he stops, she just walks away like she only meant to run to the new area. She will only "charge" at him when he is running or riding, never when he is playing with his toys or walking around.
She is NOT the top hen either, that title belongs to my Jersey Giant hen who is 1.5 years old. She is also not on the very bottom of the order, that belongs to my black Maran hen of 18 weeks.
I'm pretty concerned about this behavior since it is how my rooster (now gone) started to attack my son. I'm 90% sure that Goldie is a she. I like to free ranch my chickens during the day but I'm also not going to keep my son locked up inside either.
Any opinions as to what and why she is doing this?
Should I be concerned or will she "outgrow" this behavior?
Any advice on possibly making her be more friendly towards my son? He already helps me feed them feed and treats everyday.
So I got another one, her name is Goldie and she is 18 weeks old now. She isn't as friendly as the first one (I couldn't spend as much time hand raising her as I did Buffy). So she won't eat out of my hand or even come near me really. She won't run from me but does keep her distance. I can live with that.
The things is she will run after my 3 year old son when he runs or rides his tricycle. She doesn't attack him (at least not yet) but she will put her head down and "charge" after him. When he stops, she just walks away like she only meant to run to the new area. She will only "charge" at him when he is running or riding, never when he is playing with his toys or walking around.
She is NOT the top hen either, that title belongs to my Jersey Giant hen who is 1.5 years old. She is also not on the very bottom of the order, that belongs to my black Maran hen of 18 weeks.
I'm pretty concerned about this behavior since it is how my rooster (now gone) started to attack my son. I'm 90% sure that Goldie is a she. I like to free ranch my chickens during the day but I'm also not going to keep my son locked up inside either.
Any opinions as to what and why she is doing this?
Should I be concerned or will she "outgrow" this behavior?
Any advice on possibly making her be more friendly towards my son? He already helps me feed them feed and treats everyday.
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