My chooks are trying to peck me!

[Hollyschooks]

Hi, I have 3 Rhode Island Reds which look exactly the same as the 'Shaver Reds' on this website. I am in Australia. Anyway, we adopted the chickens when we bought the house and now I feed them bread and vegetable scraps every day. When we first moved in they were quite placid, but now whenever I go outside and they see the 'scraps bowl' they run to the fence like dogs. WHen i go in the yard I am almost tripping over them and if I try and walk slowly or go in their pen without food they try and peck my legs and sometimes fly up at me. It is horrible as I am starting to feel scared of them? They are fed grain and I let them free range around an orchard all day. Should I stop feeding them scraps? How can I retrain them so they are not so aggressive and don't expect to be fed all the time every time I go near them?

 

[Mike_Winters]

pick up the most aggressive one and pin it to the ground for a few minutes and they walk around with it upside down.

 

[BeckyLa]

I would go down to the pen and walk around the outside several times a day without giving them anything. Then after a few days, if you feel the need to give them scraps, do it from the outside of the pen. Just dump it in and leave. Whenever you go to the pen do not bring food unless you just dump it and leave. When you fill feeders and water do it at night while they are asleep. After a week or so, try going in the pen (remember, no food) wearing longs pants and walk around slowly. Take a hand towel with you. If one pecks you or flys up at you, give the towel a shake preferably in it's face as a soft discouragement. Don't ball it up but let the towel fly loose which will initially frighten them. It will take some time, but once they learn that when you come in the pen you are not going to give them treats and will frighten them they will/should begin just milling around but otherwise leave you alone. Then down the road a ways, once they've learned good behavior you can take a few, few, treats with you. But also take the towel incase they get rambunctious again you can give them a reminder. hth.

 

[LICHICK]

Maybe they are not getting enough food & that is why they attack you when you give them scrapes. I had a RR that was so sweet when she was young but got very aggressive as she got older. She becked the top of my hand on the blood vessel. It hurt so bad I saw stars & it wouldnt stop bleeding. I had a bad infection and have a scare on my hand from it. I eventually had to find a new home for her because she started crowing