Two week old Barred Rock keeps biting me!

[Arztwolf]

How do you discourage a chick from biting!? This little one only does it when I'm attempting to pick him up, no other time.

 

[azygous]

How are you picking him up? Chances are he feels threatened by the way you're grabbing him and he's trying to let you know he's not happy.

Try getting down low, and reaching for him from his level. Better still, make friends with him by holding out a treat in your hand and let him take it from you. It will teach him your hands are friendly and not to be feared. Work on getting him to associate your hands with treats and he may become more relaxed and interested in being picked up.

 

[Arztwolf]

How are you picking him up? Chances are he feels threatened by the way you're grabbing him and he's trying to let you know he's not happy.

Try getting down low, and reaching for him from his level. Better still, make friends with him by holding out a treat in your hand and let him take it from you. It will teach him your hands are friendly and not to be feared. Work on getting him to associate your hands with treats and he may become more relaxed and interested in being picked up.

I kneel down and reach through the door of the cage, he/she sees my hand the whole time. He/She also rushes up to peck me when I change the food or water. I tried giving him/her a meal worm, he/she walked over and pecked my wrist instead.

 

[SammileeChickie]

What a fiesty one.! My chicks never did that, maybe you should just slowly pick him up and pet him and hold him so he realizes your not such a threat.

 

[azygous]

Okay. How about a little discipline? You can, you know, and it often works very well and usually gets quick results.

Here's what you do. Do as you've been doing, mindful to be slow and deliberate in your movements. Be ready to deliver a quick, but gentle, peck to the back of the chick's neck with the forefinger of your opposite hand that just got pecked. This is the way chickens discipline each other, and the chick will understand that the peck to its neck means it has done something unacceptable.

If you do this, in fact, if you can anticipate and do it even before the chick is able to deliver the peck, it will be a very short time and it should stop.

 

[Arztwolf]

Okay. How about a little discipline? You can, you know, and it often works very well and usually gets quick results.

Here's what you do. Do as you've been doing, mindful to be slow and deliberate in your movements. Be ready to deliver a quick, but gentle, peck to the back of the chick's neck with the forefinger of your opposite hand that just got pecked. This is the way chickens discipline each other, and the chick will understand that the peck to its neck means it has done something unacceptable.

If you do this, in fact, if you can anticipate and do it even before the chick is able to deliver the peck, it will be a very short time and it should stop.

That sounds like it will work, I'll try it when I change their water.

 

[diana507]

Okay. How about a little discipline? You can, you know, and it often works very well and usually gets quick results.

Here's what you do. Do as you've been doing, mindful to be slow and deliberate in your movements. Be ready to deliver a quick, but gentle, peck to the back of the chick's neck with the forefinger of your opposite hand that just got pecked. This is the way chickens discipline each other, and the chick will understand that the peck to its neck means it has done something unacceptable.

If you do this, in fact, if you can anticipate and do it even before the chick is able to deliver the peck, it will be a very short time and it should stop.

When my pullets were little I had one that used to go around almost constantly and peck at the others. A little instigator for sure! I spent a lot of time doing what you said and she stopped. After a few days of doing it she got the hint.

 

[Toddrick]

I did "peck" my chicks with my finger whenever they were fighting in front of me or being bad. But my chicks never nipped at me until they were over 12 weeks old. It was the cockerels who did it. That is cockerel behavior, but from a 2 week old? Weird.

 

[azygous]

It definitely works, and it works very quickly and well with younger chicks to curb bad behavior.

Today, the largest one of my four eight-week olds was picking fights with a smaller one. She was doing the face-off, wings and hackles raised posturing and attacking. The smaller one was terrorized, trying to defend herself, but was clearly over-matched.

I dropped everything I was doing and stood watch. A few minutes later, when the chick started in again, I delivers a sharp peck to her back. She went right back to fighting. I repeated the discipline. Again, she started up again on the smaller chick. This time, it was as she was running after the chick, I "pecked" her.

After that, she got the message, went off by herself and laid down and rested. She was good for the remainder of the day. I'll keep an eye on her tomorrow, and I'll be ready to discipline her if she repeats the behavior, but I doubt she'll resume it. They learn that fast.

 

[Arztwolf]

It worked! I was able to change the water pain free!

Now if I could only train them to clean their own cage.