My bantam cochin roo pecked me and made me bleed!!!

[sparkles2307]

Fancy Pants decided to take a big step out of character last night and pecked my forearm...and made a big blood blister/cut! Silly boy! I wouldnt have thought that my teeny fell packed that much punch! He got time out and I left him alone for the rest of the evening.

 

[peeboo]

that's just like bantams, tiny but think they're huge lol

 

[playswithfowl]

I was pecked by my Silkie hen before when I tried to pick up her baby, she made me bleed too

 

[Uppity Peon]

I have a cranky RIR hen that sometimes attacks my leg when I'm walking around. Fortunately all she ever got was a fold of my jeans in her mouth.

After all the feed I bought her you would think she would have a little appreciation, but NO!

 

[Serrin]

Clarissa used to peck at me all the time. One day she really ticked me off for grabbing poor little LizzyBeth just because she was between Clarissa and the food dish. I grabbed Clarissa by the neck and shook her! Scared the wadding outta her!

And she has NEVER pecked at me ever again!

In fact, that bird has nothing but love and respect for me. Sometimes you just have to show them who's the boss!!

 

[chicken_china_mom]

Yes, I have noticed that about the cochins. When I got my first chicks I got bantam cochins because I had been told by several people that they were docile and gentle and good for first birds. I also got some Silkies, and standard SLW's. Well, when they were in the brooder together the only ones that ever pecked at me were the cochins! Not the Silkies and not the Wyandottes which I had heard AFTER I ordered them that they can sometimes be aggressive. My girls have been angels. I sold a few of the cochins and traded a few more to reduce my numbers of roos, keeping only the roos that were nice. Well, my little barred cochin roo can be a stinker. He can get wicked mean with the other birds sometimes and has once or twice pecked at my daughters. However he does NOT try that with me. The few times I caught him bullying, I grabbed him and held him under my arm and would not let him squirm away. I was told that is the way to show a rooster who is REALLY the top roo. So far with him it works. That and I keep a long thin stick on hand to push him away when he starts chasing other birds. My 9 yr old cries that she wants me to find him a new home, but I love my bad little boy. I have 3 other bantam cochin roos. One is a splash roo named Abner and he is my baby. He comes up and sits on the arm of my lawn chair, content just to be near me. Then I have my two new ones, Bam Bam, my mottled roo and Elvis, my white roo. Elvis is standoffish and won't let me handle him. He was 16 weeks old when I got him and he is a good boy, just not used to being handled. Bam Bam had never been handled before I got him and his girlfriend Pebbles, but they let me grab them and hold them. So far there isn't a mean bone in either of their bodies. I do have a few nippy girls still, though now I think I am down to just one. I love my cochins though and they are one of my favorite breeds. Try grabbing your boy and putting him under your arm like a football for a few minutes if he pecks at you again. Don't let him squirm away. And do it every time he misbehaves. I tell you, chickens are much smarter than people give them credit for and I do believe they can learn right behavior from wrong behavior. I established myself as pack leader with my dogs and I established myself as flock leader with my chickens. If I didn't, I would probably have more holes in me than swiss cheese! Good luck with him though. What was he doing that he pecked at you, protecting his girls? Cause Buddy does that, but when I raise my voice and warn him to stop, he stops cause he knows he'll get humiliated by getting picked up if he isn't nice. I taught my daughter to grab him and "football" him, and he hasn't pecked her since. I walk him around in front of the other roosters when he acts like that. I have 14 roosters in my coop, 9 of which have raging teenage hormones right now, but I tell you, no one messes with me. I think they know if they do, they are tomorrow night's dinner!