One of my hens hates me...

[wolfie115]

So I have a BBW hen who is about 18 months old and has recently decided that she hates me. I have no idea what I ever did to her to make her so angry with me. But everytime she sees me she starts swearing at me (by swearing I mean she walks around with her head pulled back chirping and cooing). Sometimes she'll run up behind me but back down as soon as I turn around. She's never attacked me or bit me she's just got really foul language (excuse the pun). I've tried picking her up and holding her to show her whose boss, but as soon as I set her down or even while I'm holding her she'll persist on swearing at me. Sometimes I'll hug her and she'll calm down a bit but soon as I stand up starts swearing at me....

Any ideas on how to stop this behavior? She didn't used to be this way so I don't understand what her problem is. =/

Oh and this is the face I get when she's doing it. This was taken earlier this year, she used get mad if we were holding a chicken but now its like all the time.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

I dont know but my BBB turkey hen loves me she bows everytime im out with her apparently she thinks im her tom lol. How much does yours weigh?

 

[Celie]

She looks like a very nice Thanksgiving dinner to me.

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

She looks like a very nice Thanksgiving dinner to me.

Agreed!

 

[Sally8]

My husband and I agree on the fact that she is jealous. No ideas on how to stop the behavior. We have a 5 mo old Royal Palm hen that is very vocal. She is also very nosy. We have 2toms, same age, but she is dedicated to Chuck. When he broke his wing, she laid outside the crate we put him in and wouldn't pay any attention to Huck, his brother. I am concerned that she will become a problem later. As it is now, we cannot keep her in. We tried clipping her wings but that only worked a few days. We have 3 grandchildren all under 4 and she can look the younger ones in the eye. We definitely need to watch her. I'll be interested in hearing what others think about your hen. Good luck.
Unfortunately, I'm afraid that ours will end up as dinner at some point and she was mean't for a pet. I took pictures of her on the house roof this morning but don't know how to post from an iPad.

 

[Narragansett]

You might have better luck if you try to approach learning about her behavior from another point of view. Animals are not little humans in fur or featherd suits. For the most part they simply do not express all of the human emotions that are attributed to them here, especially most livestock species. This bird is showing classic dominance behavior. It has lost all healthy respect for you because it was raised as a pet, related to in human terms, not those in which an animal can understand. Turkeys just do not have the ability to relate to humans in ways that both can easily interpret. Animals such as dogs and cats do, to a point, and that is why turkeys became domesticated as food source, while dogs and cats eventually became companion animals, and not the other way around. BTW, are you sure about the age and sex of your bird? The one in the photo looks like a young tom.