My chickens hate me!

[TattooedChicks]

For me with this last flock, sitting on the ground with my legs stretched has resulted in up to a dozen bantams perched on me. No treats in hand, just a few quiet minutes and even my shyest chooks stop by to say hello. They seem to be getting more and more trusting with it too. You almost have to ignore them, that's my secret at least .

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

Hanging with the girls for a bit... mine don't have issues with my flip flops, could be they are not noisy like some brands or since birds little always see me in them. They got treats earlier hand fed by me when I let them out, so they came running to me when I came out again... they also followed me around this morning, but I am deliberately slow and calm around them too and sometimes I walk calmly besides them or behind them just like another hen would do. I am trying a calmer approach as suggested by pet bird training videos, testing were their limits are with movements such as hands and it has paid off with friendlier, calmer and more confident hens around me. I also when opening the coop stand near the exit so they must pass me daily... I think this helps them understand I will not just swoop in and grab them per say. Many people say this breed is flighty and not friendly... they are friendly and not flighty at my house unless I move fast or try to capture them by chasing them, the light hen will always stop and drop around me too.

 

[quackingdom]

She's trained you.

Exactly! She knows how operant conditioning works!

Yes she has trained the human... when and if you tell her no the pecking/bitting might get more aggressive as you are rewarding bitting.

Once a person or critter has had repeated success with a bad behavior it takes a bit to train that away... and often towards the end of training the critter doubles down in their old habits this is called "extinction behavior"... learned that on a dog training show, but little kids do it too, and full grown adults. The tantrum to end all tantrums type behavior.

That's why I would never allow this type of behavior in dogs. Too many dog owners reward disrespectful behavior and let the dogs control them. Then when they NEED to make the dog do something it doesn't want to do, the dog growls, or even bites.

Ducks are pretty harmless. She's pretty gentle and I think her nibbling is cute. Isn't it nice to have animals we can spoil without worrying about dangerous consequences?

 

[Sublight]

I have 2 silkies that I bought as mother natures incubators in my flock. I bought then scratch and we go out and feed them every day since I got them. They were not handled where they came from so they were fairly wild.

After 1 week of getting scratch every day, they would pace around the pen when they saw me with the little cup of scratch, but they would still run when I went in to the pen.

It now has been almost 6 weeks, and last night I was trying to put everyone up because they were free ranging. The old chickens went right on in the pen, because they are used to being put up. They know whats up.

The 2 silkies wouldn't budge. I kept trying to push them by walking towards them. Eventually they were scratching and pecking between my shoes. My wife was laughing at me, and I said "You know how hard it is to heard chickens that aren't afraid of me at all?"
She told me to pick them up, and I did. I had to reach down and pick them up to carry them in.
They LOOOOVE scratch. Even my big chickens have had a better attitude, I can get really close, but cant pick them up.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

Truth on the dog thing... that is why they end up in pounds. I had one pure bred show quality Maltese brought to my place because of those issues his owner had created a little monster... growling, bitting, aggressive behavior caused him being kicked out when his owner's wife got pregnant over fears he would attack the baby, but they kept the big properly trained not spoiled and thus not dangerous GSD. It took some work but he got resocialized here so he could then be adopted into a pack of small mop dogs a friend of the family had, I felt a pack would be best to help keep him in line. He lived a happy non aggressive life ever after... I wish he could have gone back to his original home but that would have required training his Doctor owner too, and I doubt the Doctor would have listened to my no no list, and his wife was freaked out too much over the past behaviors so puppy needed new start.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

With the birds as they love scratch, start sitting on the ground and start with scratch in a cup or scooper or bowl you push out at arms length and use a command like "come" or whistle like you would for a dog to come, or say "treat".... just sit let them come and eat... over time, and do not rush this at all, move the treat closer to you, stay calm, just chat with them, read a book, breath but let them come closer on their own very gradually... eventually start holding scoop or cup at length so they must get closer to hand, but are already used to eating in presence, but again go from far away to slowly closer to you... then transition to feed in hand held way out, always sitting calmly, if they won't take from hand put on ground next to hand, no short cuts take every step as a stage of far to closer over time... try dried worms or dried little fish (Asian markets) too... my girls love meat... want to watch some fun toss meat scraps out... the birds go nuts, also mine like noodles, cottage cheese, fresh veggies, shredded watermelon rinds, and more. I taught my birds to "go home" meaning into their coop by saying that nightly and giving a food reward... the up is if I really need them in coop sooner say full light out, they will do it while complaining to me that it is not night time yet... but they will reluctantly go in their coop... and get their treat. Means less chicken herding work for me and a slow march instead to coop.

 

[Sublight]

How could I say no to that funny, cute, sweet, curious Chicken?!?!

That soup isn't made with chicken broth is it? If so that's funny and kinda messed up at the same time.
My wife caught me feeing my chickens their own eggs after I scrambled them. She told me that's really F'ed up.

 

[Sublight]

With the birds as they love scratch, start sitting on the ground and start with scratch in a cup or scooper or bowl you push out at arms length and use a command like "come" or whistle like you would for a dog to come, or say "treat".... just sit let them come and eat... over time, and do not rush this at all, move the treat closer to you, stay calm, just chat with them, read a book, breath but let them come closer on their own very gradually... eventually start holding scoop or cup at length so they must get closer to hand, but are already used to eating in presence, but again go from far away to slowly closer to you... then transition to feed in hand held way out, always sitting calmly, if they won't take from hand put on ground next to hand, no short cuts take every step as a stage of far to closer over time... try dried worms or dried little fish (Asian markets) too... my girls love meat... want to watch some fun toss meat scraps out... the birds go nuts, also mine like noodles, cottage cheese, fresh veggies, shredded watermelon rinds, and more. I taught my birds to "go home" meaning into their coop by saying that nightly and giving a food reward... the up is if I really need them in coop sooner say full light out, they will do it while complaining to me that it is not night time yet... but they will reluctantly go in their coop... and get their treat. Means less chicken herding work for me and a slow march instead to coop.

I love it. We say "Heeeereeeee chick, chick, chick" and they come running.

 

[kgb6days]

I think you've gotten some great suggestions so far. Mine tolerate being picked up and come stand around me waiting their turn, however when they were the age of yours they were way more skittish. I do have a little bench that is about 18 inches from the ground and I sit on it. That way I'm not so huge to them. they don't like it at all if I stand over them and bend over to pick them up. I also take some kind of treat to them every day - just a little cause they don't need much. I want them to eat their food so they get all the nutrition. Patience. Sit down low with them and give treats. Hold some in your hand to see if that will entice them. Talk softly to them. Remember chickens are fraidy cats at heart.

 

[quackingdom]

Truth on the dog thing... that is why they end up in pounds. I had one pure bred show quality Maltese brought to my place because of those issues his owner had created a little monster... growling, bitting, aggressive behavior caused him being kicked out when his owner's wife got pregnant over fears he would attack the baby, but they kept the big properly trained not spoiled and thus not dangerous GSD. It took some work but he got resocialized here so he could then be adopted into a pack of small mop dogs a friend of the family had, I felt a pack would be best to help keep him in line. He lived a happy non aggressive life ever after... I wish he could have gone back to his original home but that would have required training his Doctor owner too, and I doubt the Doctor would have listened to my no no list, and his wife was freaked out too much over the past behaviors so puppy needed new start.

I think about 99% of dog behavior problems are the owner's fault, not the dog's. Same with horses.

I'm glad you helped the Maltese.