My chicken is a bully!

[Phaedra Winters]

Agrees on the carrying around, but holding them down(and more pecks) is similar to dominance mounting and has worked IME...not that I think I'm a chicken

I would disagree, I dealt with a nasty rooster who I started to pick up and carry around every time he attacked me (carried him for 5-10 mins every time) and now I have no issues with him, he keeps a respectful distance away. But that is just my experience, and what works for some people doesn't work for everyone.

 

[meetthebubus]

Well, my post was in direct response to another post, which I quoted, to ensure context was understood.

sure didn't mean to pick on you directly by quoting you, just used your direct words to put my point out

 

[Shadrach]

Chickens don’t like being picked up.
They like their feet on the ground and their wings unrestrained so they can escape if necessary.
You can get some chickens to tolerate being picked up if you are patient and put the time in. They still don’t like it; it’s unnatural for them.
This doesn’t mean you can’t touch your chicken. If you leave them on their feet they are far less likely to try to escape and with time you can inspect them and gently stroke them.

If you are hand feeding your chicken and she pecks you the simple answer is don’t hand feed her. Just put the food down and stand back.
She will stop attacking you.

Your ‘not nice hen’ is defending the rest of the flock. hens will do this if there is no rooster. When she sees you pick up one of the more compliant hens she thinks you are either trying to mate with that hen, or are attacking that hen. She is in fact a good hen trying to look after her flock
The answer again is don’t pick the chickens up.
After a while you can start again and make friends with them while they have their feet on the ground. Honestly, you’ll have a lot less problems if you just don’t pick them up.

 

[jdlx4]

Sounds to me like it may be gumbo time, with Ash as the main ingredient

 

[jdlx4]

Just teasing, that was a joke.

 

[Fishkeeper]

Carrying a chicken may not be something that other chickens will do to establish dominance, but it can work. You're showing the chicken that you're stronger and not to be messed with, but aren't a threat.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Carrying a chicken may not be something that other chickens will do to establish dominance, but it can work. You're showing the chicken that you're stronger and not to be messed with, but aren't a threat.

The day I see a chicken carrying another.........

 

[Chickassan]

Wait a second, was she always mean or did it have a starting point? Were you ever able to not get bit?

 

[Kat2141]

Maybe she doesn't like the "clothes" that you put on her. It is hard to tell from the pic but it looks like you have something on her. That might be a big part of her attitude.

 

[roythom]

View attachment 1598069
This little chicken is Ash.
She looks cute and innocent, right? You just wanna pick her up and cuddle with her. Well if you do that she will peck you so hard that you start bleeding.

Every time I try to change the food or water or pick up one of the good hens, she either pecks me so hard that I bleed, flaps at me, or bites me and won't let go. I give them as much attention as I can and I feed them fresh food and give them fresh water, and I play with them and let them out when there are no hawks (which is basically never, but they still get a lot of free time.)

I want to make Ash so that she's nice again. Is there a way I can make her behave? I'm not asking for a super-behaved trained hen, I just want her to stop attacking me when I'm trying to feed her.

If she does not behave. Have her over for supper. She is a chicken.