One RIR hen still attacking me.

[jclausen]

I have one of my RIR attacking to the point of drawing blood on the back of my hand. She will jump off the ground to latch on to the back of hand. I have tried swatting her away, pecked her on the head several times and she still want to grab the back of my hand and latch on. Not sure what she is trying to prove but I keep showing her I am the boss not her. She seems to be the highest in the pecking order over the other 3 RIR. I do not want to hurt her just stop the attacks. Any other suggestion to stop this behavior?

 

[Folly's place]

You can carry a stick and insist that she stays away from you at all times. @Beekissed has an excellent article about managing nasty roosters, and it applies here.
Or, rehome her with full disclosure, or get out your crock pot!
If you have been hand feeding, stop, and have the birds keep a respectful distance from you. They need to respect your space, and only enter it when invited.
She shouldn't think that you are a flock member to push around!
Mary

 

[ValerieJ]

I have one BO who likes to challenge me, and she does peck at me. When she does that I pick her up and carry her around for a few minutes. We are having longer periods of time between challenges, but she is getting better. She is really funny. When I'm carrying her she growls the whole time. I call her Surly because she has been this way since she was born.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

I have ISA Browns. They have always tried to peck me. I got a set of tools from Lowe's, it includes a rake , shovel, and hoe. (These are Children's tools. They have approximately 30 to 34 inch handle.). I always carry the rake with me when I go in the chicken coop. When they decide to try to peck me I set the rake down in front of them and they leave me alone.

 

[aart]

I have one of my RIR attacking to the point of drawing blood on the back of my hand. She will jump off the ground to latch on to the back of hand. I have tried swatting her away, pecked her on the head several times and she still want to grab the back of my hand and latch on. Not sure what she is trying to prove but I keep showing her I am the boss not her. She seems to be the highest in the pecking order over the other 3 RIR. I do not want to hurt her just stop the attacks. Any other suggestion to stop this behavior?

You're going to have to be more assertive.

Have had this happen several times, mostly with hand fed chicks often as they come of age and get spunky. It's pretty easily curbed with calm and deliberate determination.

I peck them back, on the head or anywhere I can reach, with the tips of thumb and first 2 fingers, as hard and fast as many times as I can before they get away. Well, not hard enough to hurt them, just startle them and let them you mean business. That's what another chicken would do, so they understand that kind of communication.


If that doesn't work after a couple applications, I hold them down to the ground with my hand on their back until they submit....again firmly enough to get the job done but not hurt them....add a few finger pecks and/or tug on the feathers

 

[rosemarythyme]

Wearing gloves wouldn't be a bad idea for the time being to keep your hand intact.

 

[AsaDotJava]

You call her a "hen"... How old is she?

I have young birds that are still jumping at my hands because they know my hands deliver the food dishes (they aren't hand fed). Anyone who actually bites me (ahem, I'm looking at you, bigger black frizzle!) gets carried around for a bit or dinked on the head depending on how much time I have haha The key is being consistent... Set your boundaries and demand respect every single time.

 

[jclausen]

Thank all of you for the input. I will start being a less tolerant and peck on on the head when she does this. I also think pushing her away may help. maybe not hand them any more. I also like the idea off picking her up that way she know I am the big chicken in this yard.
Thanks Again.