R.I.R. Hen Gets Aggressive

[kjfrogster41]

I have raised my R.I.R.s from day 3, they will soon turn two years. Up until a month or so ago the 3 of them have always been fine with me, no aggressive behavior. Now, top chicken has begun trying to peck me and block me from going in to their coop or in the run. She struts her stuff, fluffs up and generally shows me how big and tough she is. It's really annoying! I can stop her momentarily by pinning her down and then picking her up by the feet and hanging her up side down. I had been told that is a way to subdue a chicken.

I have ordered those pinless peepers but am not sure if sticking a device in to the hen's nostrils is really a good idea? I think it works to stop pecking other hens but not sure if it will be effective with humans? She is not aggressive to the other two hens.

I would just like to read advice on this kind of sudden behavior change as well as the devise for stopping pecking.

 

[TwoCrows]

I have a hen with the exact same problem. She started being aggressive toward not only the other hens, but me as well. And she started it up when she was only 4 months old. I let it slide, doing what you are doing, (the pinning down, the showing her who's boss), to no avail. At 7 months old, I had had enough. She had bitten me for the last time, even drew blood. So on with the pinless peepers!!!!...



Yes, it can seem extreme. But it was either that or send her to the stew pot. LOL This will not completely stop the aggression, however it does give them an attitude adjustment over all. It does not effect how she eats, drinks, lays or acts. She is still the flock leader and they all know it. But she can not point, aim and fire off her beak as easily. These peepers need to be worn for several weeks to a month or two to really adjust the behavior. This girl has worn them on and off for several years. She rarely bites me now. These peepers have definitely piped her down. And she is far less aggressive with the other hens as well.

Good luck with your hen, I know how it is.

 

[kjfrogster41]

Thanks so very much, Two Crows! You have answered my concerns nicely. I eagerly await the arrival of the pinless peepers.

 

[TwoCrows]

Good luck with your hen.

 

[kjfrogster41]

Could you tell me how I get the pinless peeper on to the hen's bill? Do those two short pin things really go inside the hen's nostrils? Any rate, they arrived but without any instructions on how to put them on. Thanks!

 

[TwoCrows]

Yeah, they don't tell you much when they send them along do they!

They do sell pliers to go with these peepers for easier installation, but I opted out on those. I figured I could get them on myself. Over the years I perfected getting them on as they do take some time to learn how to get them on with minimal stress on the bird.

So...you have a few options on getting them on...

Originally what I was doing was, putting the peepers in some boiling water for a few minutes to loosen the plastic up to get it to bend. I was doing this myself, without any help, and this made it easier to get them on. I took the peepers in the boiling water and all outside with me while I prepared the bird. And this will be much easier for you if you have someone help you with this.

Get the said bird and wrap them up in a towel and lay them on your lap, belly up, head at your belly. If you have someone helping you, have them gently hold the beak still. Take the peepers out of the water, shake off the water and yes, those pins are going to go into the nostrils. Hold the peepers with the pins down and the supporting bar part of the peepers up and pry them apart and slip them into the nostrils. Make SURE to get them centered in the nostrils so that they are not poking any skin or parts of the inner nostril beak area. They should sit comfortably and be slightly moveable in the nose. Not too low in the nose and not all the way back either.

Now, the hen is not going to like this one bit. She will shake her head, try to scratch them off and basically pout the rest of the day. I felt sorry for my girl the first day and of course I took them off. BIG mistake! LOL As she bit me hard later that day and you will find that your sympathy quickly wanes after being bitten!

Watch her for the first day to make sure she figures out how to eat and drink properly as she will have to learn how to see in these things. But in a day or so, she will not even know they are on. She will improve over the days to be able to eat just like everybody else, especially the treats.

Now, what I did over the years was modify the peepers to make it easier for me to get them on. So here is what I did...



The peepers on the left, I completely cut out a section of them to make them more pliable and also to make room for my hens comb. These seemed to be the most comfortable. The peepers on the right have a cut in the support bar only, but they still leaned on her comb. But it does make it easier to get them on without having to boil them. They pry apart much easier being cut. HOWEVER...my hen is learning how to get them off because they are easier to work. So I may go back to the original whole peeper.

Good luck with your hen! Leave them on for at least one month or so and then you can remove them. Over the months, if she starts to act aggressive again, put them on for another round. I rarely need to apply my hens peepers much anymore. These things have piped her down over the years. But of course I keep them handy all the time.