Why do my chickens keep flying onto my back.

[MarieNC]

All 6 of my girls will jump up on my lap if I sit down in the run and sometimes one will get on my arm. They like to get pets and cuddles and sometimes they will fall asleep in my lap. I don't let them close to my face, though.

 

[brindlefarms]

My leghorn bardrock cross just flew up on to my shoulder...then on to my head. She seemed pretty content.... hmmm.

 

[Cluckcluck1215]

Careful, chickenalice.

This is a great website but some members are so pro-chicken, that they cant differentiate aggression from friendliness.


I regard my chickens as serious predators, same as my super friendly Shetland Sheepdog and my cat.

Only difference is that the dog and cat are smart fast learners and have never in 8 years shown the slightest tendency to be aggressive to me or my children.


I dont tolerate a dog or cat jumping on me unexpectedly.

You should not tolerate chickens doing the same.

Be firm without hurting them and give them a good smack on the side of their bodies to indicate the behaviour is not welcome. There are numerous threads on this site about aggressive roosters getting sent to the stew pot. I think many could have been avoided if someone had defended themselves effectively the first time the bird jumped them.

I had a hen jump my head from behind, a few months ago, when I bent over to get an egg (she was not in the box). One arm swing over my head to smack her off and it has never happened again.


I may get some flack for this response.

But what else are you going to do?

Get pushed around by a chicken?

Chickens are trying to be FRIENDLY!
They love your attention.My girls jump on my lap, my shoulders and back and NEVER have they hurt or bitten me.

 

[azygous]

I agree. My chickens are extremely people oriented. Half of the two dozen are as frisky and affectionate as puppies, loving to be cuddled. We do what I call a "group hug" where I get as many as six or seven hens at a time voluntarily crowding into my arms as I kneel on the ground. Occasionally one of a lower rank will hop onto my back because that's the only spot left for her. It's the only way she can experience the same closeness the others are enjoying.


The closest any hen of mine has come to aggressiveness is when I'm healing from a round of skin cancer treatments and one will peck at a scab on the back of my bare leg out of curiosity.

I concede there are occasionally chickens that have aggressive tendencies toward humans, and it would warrant discipline, but I haven't seen it in my flock except for the rare exception of a rooster during the hormonal stage.

 

[Spartan22]

My chicken are no pets by no means but I like them, care for them keep them happy and healthy. They love to crowd at the run door whenever they see me 100 ft away, some will jump on my arm to perch, some will hang around by my feet until I pick them up but I will never allow them close to my face to get pecked on the face or eyes.

 

[Cluckcluck1215]

My chicken are no pets by no means but I like them, care for them keep them happy and healthy. They love to crowd at the run door whenever they see me 100 ft away, some will jump on my arm to perch, some will hang around by my feet until I pick them up but I will never allow them close to my face to get pecked on the face or eyes.

Then why do you keep chickens?Just for eggs?Or just for meat?

 

[Spartan22]

Just because, since our generation is into chicken keeping LOL

. For eggs and maybe pet but I just don't know it yet lol.

 

[MorbidAngel]

I think it can be a friendly behavior.

But with my Golden Sex Links (that I sold recently), they tried that exactly twice. The first time, I thought oh how cute. The second time I realized that they were trying to one-up me in the pecking order.

So make sure it is friendly. Also, more than one person on BYC has mentioned someone's eye getting pecked while they had a chicken on the shoulder.

I don't want chickens near my eyes.

Yeah, my 3 week old chicks were fighting one another to get onto my shoulder. While I was trying to juggle the two chicks, one of them took the opportunity to peck me in the eye. I view that type of behavior as the chicks trying to figure out the pecking order. (which includes you)
However, if the chick or chicken gets on your shoulder and just sits and chills, then thats perfectly acceptable loving behavior.

 

[nuthatched]

Yeah, my 3 week old chicks were fighting one another to get onto my shoulder. While I was trying to juggle the two chicks, one of them took the opportunity to peck me in the eye. I view that type of behavior as the chicks trying to figure out the pecking order. (which includes you)
However, if the chick or chicken gets on your shoulder and just sits and chills, then thats perfectly acceptable loving behavior.

This thread is from 2011, you're not likely to receive a response from the op.
It's not recommended to encourage shoulder sitting, you don't want to be caught off guard and lose an eye or get a nice stab in the face with a feces covered chicken claw.