My 4 wk old chick bit me on purpose.

[galefrances]

I have 12 chicks 10 are 4 wks old and 2 are 6 wks. old. Only one is friendly. All the others are skittish. I can go into the run or coop and they're fine, but if I try to pick them up or pet them they run away. Today I sat in the run on a low chair and waited until they came near me. One of the barred rocks 4 wks old let me pick her up and hold her, then when I put her down she turned around and bit me. Not really hard, but it wasn't a peck, it was a bite and she did it twice. I'm worried I haven't spent enough time with the chicks since they've been in the coop since they were two weeks old. Any suggestions? Should I just let them do their own thing or should I pick them up and hold them until they get used to be handled? My husband keeps telling me they're chickens not pets, but I'm worried that if they get sick or hurt I won't be able to pick them up to help them.

 

[bobbi-j]

Chickens aren't generally a cuddly animal. She may have been feeling threatened and was defending herself. If you feel the need to pick one up and examine it, you can wait until they roost at night and pick them off the roost. There are stories upon stories here on BYC of people getting attacked by their hand-raised, coddled roosters. General consensus is, they attack because of the handling and coddling. When they're not treated as a chicken and shown their place in the flock, so to speak, they see you as an equal or someone to be dominated or challenged. Teach them to respect you by letting them know you're the boss.

 

[galefrances]

Thank you. I guess my husband's right. A chicken is still a chicken and I should be happy that they come running to me when I enter the run....they know I bring food

 

[bobbi-j]

Thank you. I guess my husband's right. A chicken is still a chicken and I should be happy that they come running to me when I enter the run....they know I bring food

Don't ya hate it when they're right?

 

[jen85]

I haven't had the same experience with my roosters. One of my most handled roosters in the flock is the nicest. For me almost every rooster I've gotten from a hatchery has been mean, the ones from breeders and my own eggs are super sweet. Weird maybe . Is it a hen? As long as it doesn't happen all the time I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[galefrances]

I haven't had the same experience with my roosters. One of my most handled roosters in the flock is the nicest. For me almost every rooster I've gotten from a hatchery has been mean, the ones from breeders and my own eggs are super sweet. Weird maybe

. Is it a hen? As long as it doesn't happen all the time I wouldn't worry about it.

Yes, she's supposed to be a hen. She's only 4 wks. old so it's hard to tell, but my other Barred Rock is 2 wks. older and the younger one looks exactly like her. The older one is very friendly. I haven't tried to hold her since it happened. I figure she'll stay out of my way if I stay out of hers.

 

[Ben Rogers]

I had a chick that was supposed to be a hen but has turned out to be a rooster. I handle all my chicks. However, this one has become more and more skittish. It exhibited some aggression toward me a week ago and pecked pretty hard at me as I reached for him. Out of instinct, I flicked it's beak with my finger. I didn't read that as a good method or anything, I just did it (it's what I used to do when raising rabbits, rats, mice and gerbils--when they bit, I popped them in the nose with my flicked finger--they learned to stop pretty quickly).

Now this rooster does not attack me, avoids me and then I do pick it, it tries to get away, but when it discovers that I won't let it go, it settles down (somewhat nervously) and allows me to examine him.

I plan to eat this guy, unless someone decides to buy him from me before processing date--so there's no love lost...

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

Our rooster my sister cuddled, and hes the sweetest It really depends on the roo- This guy was raised with 2 other roosters. The oldest, a OEGB who put him and the other rooster, a frizzle, in place, so hes never been 'dominant' so he doesn't fight and just tries to run but not to heartedly.

Best of luck with your hen, chickens are cuddly animals but in the afternoon they are calmer so you might want to hold them then

 

[Cochaura]

We just started our chicken adventure a year ago and got them as day-olds. We only had a couple that were really, really friendly off the bat. None of them were mean, they just didn't want to come near us. Over time, they did start to run over to us whenever we're around right along with the friendlier, more outgoing chickens. I don't know if they just learned from the others that we can be trusted or that they know we have treats sometimes We also tried to build up their trust by putting some feed in the palm of our hands for them to eat out of or pick clover and hold it out to them. This seems to have worked really well and even the hen that wouldn't let us anywhere near her now doesn't run away from us. It took a lot of time, but we just try not to push it too much and give them their space.

 

[Ben Rogers]

I have also found that chickens completely forget all skittish concerns when they discover you sitting down and holding an ear of sweetcorn for them to devour.

Even the most skittish will wind up sitting in your lap and accept petting whiel they are lost in the delight of their favorite treat.