She bit me

[Shezadandy]

Ok I tried that quick tap so many times I actually stand out there fighting with my chicken lol .. she doesn't give up the more I flick her the more she comes after me ! I just don't know what to do anymore .. after each fighting session she eventually walks away, then the same thing happens when I walk outside again she starts pecking at my leg untieing my sneakers then she jumps and bumps her chest on my legs.. I flick her pretty hard on her neck and she comes right back at me.. I have so many bit marks on my hands... please any suggestions? Should I just keep this up and hope she will get it? I'm so frustrated

She's not buying that you mean business. Whatever level of touch you're using, she's not taking you seriously. Of course we don't want to hurt/injure our feathered trouble makers, but she's making a game of this with you. Timing is important. Have you seen your chickens settling disputes among themselves? Notice one almost always winds up making a "hey ahhhh!!" kind of noise. Like "OK you got me geez you're the boss now stop I'll be good, you eat first YOU EAT FIRST here, take mine". Others have called it the squeak of protest.

She should believe that you're not going to let her peck you EVER- whether you're calm or worked up from getting feather-slapped. This might entail pursuing her around the space.

Aim for the top of the head or the back. It's easier to get contact with the back, and it's a bigger area if firmer pressure is warranted to get your point across. Going for the back also starts to set you up for the day when you're ready to pin her should she not get the point.

Try reading through this thread- similar situation with very similar advice from myself and others, but specifically I recommend post #12 as that was the thread-starter's breakthrough moment with a like-minded hen.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1135335/biting-pullet/10

And if she's just a rotten minded chicken ... she might be best suited in another living situation (with full disclosure to the adopter) ... or the friendly confines of the freezer. =) There really are plenty of nice chickens out there looking for a good home!!

 

[shortgrass]

This dilemma actually made me think... My hens have never really done that to me, and I've hand fed, and petted, had lap hens, one even laid an egg on my housecoat in our camper lol... And then it hit me. My housecoat!

Ok, so I have an "outside" housecoat. One I only wear outside, usually in early morning when I feed and gather eggs. This housecoat goes all the way to the ground, and I use it like "wings". Oh, this sounds so ridiculous lol.... The housecoat is how I " herd" them if they're scattered, and it works with my turkeys and ducks, too...even my kids sometimes ha-ha


I think, this whole time, they've thought I was a giant green bossy chicken! That would explain why they squat whenever I get close while in my housecoat!

Lol try it and let me know if I'm nuts or not

 

[Howard E]

YOU may not have the temperament for this, but I can share what I did with my rooster when I had him. Knowing they tend to be aggressive with some folks, I decided to get the upper hand with him from the start. Anytime he was near me and I saw him watching or he came around to interact, I literally kicked him away. Not a hard kick, but nothing subtle and aimed right up the tail feathers. Message sent was I'm boss and you are not. You are insignificant. So around me, he was always on the lookout for that boot. Not so with others, including a 3 year old grandson (which among other reasons is why he is gone), but that was the case with me.

So the plan would be to ignore her.......she gets no treats (at least none handed to her), and anytime she is close enough, you just give her the boot. Gentle at first to not so gentle if it comes to that. Tough love comes in many forms.