My chicken jumped on my head!

[CharlotteIP]

Hi there!

My name's Liz, and I'm the proud new owner of 3 Ameraucana hens (8 weeks old). I just got them yesterday morning, and they are the first chickens I have ever owned. I'm writing because I know little about bird behavior, and am a little concerned about something that just happened. I have been hanging out in their coop, sitting on the grass, and they are curious and chirp at me, etc. However, they started making concerned noises (drawn-out cheeps) and one of them jumped on my head! Here are the other conditions: it's about dusk, I have given them a few raw sunflower seeds and some watermelon, this specific chicken is a variety that can apparently be a little skittish. I think that's it. Does it sound like aggression? Am I being placed at the low end of their pecking order? Was I crowding them? Please help- I'm so confused, and worried that this may be bad for our 'relationships'. Thanks for any help, and I am excited to be here!

Liz

I have two chickens, a roo and a hen that I raised as pets so we have a close bond. I taught my hen to jump up on my arm for treats. Today, my hen jumped on my arm unannounced because I wasn't paying attention to her, that caused my roo to jump on my head. A couple minutes later when I was standing still again, my hen jumped on my head and my roo knocked her off so he could be on my head instead.
They jump on me a lot unannounced, (especially my hen ever sense I taught her) but I see it as reassuring that we have a bond and they feel comfortable around me.

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

You guys are great! Thank you- my mind is more at ease.

However, when I went out to check on them, one of them somehow chipped the end of her beak, and was bleeding a little. I talked to a woman I know who said that since it's dark, the beak should have time to stop bleeding before they're up and about tomorrow, but to check on them as early as possible to make sure the other two aren't attacking her. She was over by herself, and the other two were close together. I am so out of my element! Does waiting seem like a good idea? Has anyone else had a bird chip her beak? Thanks again for all your help!

You could try to catch her and dust the wound with corn starch, to help it clot over and also to disguise the blood(as exposed blood can lead to bullying, or in extreme cases, cannibalism).

 

[CharlotteIP]

You guys are great! Thank you- my mind is more at ease.

However, when I went out to check on them, one of them somehow chipped the end of her beak, and was bleeding a little. I talked to a woman I know who said that since it's dark, the beak should have time to stop bleeding before they're up and about tomorrow, but to check on them as early as possible to make sure the other two aren't attacking her. She was over by herself, and the other two were close together. I am so out of my element! Does waiting seem like a good idea? Has anyone else had a bird chip her beak? Thanks again for all your help!

I've had that happen to a roo I used to have. He had a slight cross beak so his upper beak would grow out long. At first I tried to trim it but ended up making him bleed on accident. It stopped pretty quickly. He was never attacked because he was kind of a mean rooster to everyone else . I stopped clipping his beak and it kind of naturally broke off and again I just waited until it stopped bleeding and he ofc would protect himself if the other chickens were ever interested, but they seemed to never notice sense they never really saw a wound.

 

[FrostRanger]

This post is from 14 years ago, I'm sure everything was just fine