I socialize my chicks a lot. My kids also hold them and spend time with them. One of our chicks started this behavior and now several of them are doing it. I'm curious if it's related to what cats do to mark someone with their scent. Cats will run their nose, cheek and ears against someone to mark a scent on them to indicate acceptance.
My chicks sit on my hand or arm and they'll peck at my arm hair and fingernail, then they'll walk around and wipe their beaks from side to side against my arm, hand, shoulder, sometimes even my beard if they're up close to my face (after they've picked at my mustache, beard, nose, etc.)
This is fairly common, especially in the chicks we've held the most.
They'll also "snort" sometimes and I'll feel teensy drops of moisture--almost like a faint mist--when they do it. It's not often.
Just curious what all this behavior means -- if anything. Maybe this is just "what chickens do" or maybe it's a way of marking and accepting a "member of the flock".
I'm more accustomed to pack animals and their behaviors to accept someone into the pack. I'm don't want to interpret common chicken behavior for what I know of pack animals. But it would be cool to think that our favorite chicks are accepting us as "family".
My chicks sit on my hand or arm and they'll peck at my arm hair and fingernail, then they'll walk around and wipe their beaks from side to side against my arm, hand, shoulder, sometimes even my beard if they're up close to my face (after they've picked at my mustache, beard, nose, etc.)
This is fairly common, especially in the chicks we've held the most.They'll also "snort" sometimes and I'll feel teensy drops of moisture--almost like a faint mist--when they do it. It's not often.
Just curious what all this behavior means -- if anything. Maybe this is just "what chickens do" or maybe it's a way of marking and accepting a "member of the flock".
I'm more accustomed to pack animals and their behaviors to accept someone into the pack. I'm don't want to interpret common chicken behavior for what I know of pack animals. But it would be cool to think that our favorite chicks are accepting us as "family".
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