Hen pecked and made my child bleed

[aart]

Have had this happen several times, mostly with hand fed chicks often as they come of age and get spunky. It's pretty easily curbed with calm and deliberate determination.

Might be hard to teach this to a 5yo human, calm and deliberate is key, but......

I peck them back, on the head or anywhere I can reach, with the tips of thumb and first 2 fingers, as hard and fast as many times as I can before they get away. Well, not hard enough to hurt them, just startle them and let them you mean business. That's what another chicken would do, so they understand that kind of communication.

If that doesn't work after a couple applications, I hold them down to the ground with my hand on their back until they submit....again firmly enough to get the job done but not hurt them....add a few finger pecks and/or tug on the feathers on the back of their neck.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Sometimes hens are just..... spunky isn't the right word, but it's not entirely wrong either. If it were me, I'd probably tolerate it if I liked the bird, but I'd be wary around children. Since you have a child, I'd see if someone wanted her

 

[turtlesback]

Have had this happen several times, mostly with hand fed chicks often as they come of age and get spunky. It's pretty easily curbed with calm and deliberate determination.

Might be hard to teach this to a 5yo human, calm and deliberate is key, but......

I peck them back, on the head or anywhere I can reach, with the tips of thumb and first 2 fingers, as hard and fast as many times as I can before they get away. Well, not hard enough to hurt them, just startle them and let them you mean business. That's what another chicken would do, so they understand that kind of communication.

If that doesn't work after a couple applications, I hold them down to the ground with my hand on their back until they submit....again firmly enough to get the job done but not hurt them....add a few finger pecks and/or tug on the feathers on the back of their neck.

Thank you for your message. This chicken is one of my favorite chickens and I love that she’s spunky and intelligent. She was had fed. I will give her another chance and if it happens again I will rehome her.

 

[turtlesback]

Sometimes hens are just..... spunky isn't the right word, but it's not entirely wrong either. If it were me, I'd probably tolerate it if I liked the bird, but I'd be wary around children. Since you have a child, I'd see if someone wanted her

Thank you for your reply I am going to give her another chance.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

What type of shoes was your kid wearing? If the answer is sandals or flip flops that should be changed right away. Kids shouldn’t be wearing open toed shoes around chickens. I don’t even wear open toed shoes around chickens. They see your toes wriggling and go for them. Child size toes look like fat worms.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I want to see this chicken and make sure it's actually a hen pullet. Pics, please?

 

[turtlesback]

What type of shoes was your kid wearing? If the answer is sandals or flip flops that should be changed right away. Kids shouldn’t be wearing open toed shoes around chickens. I don’t even wear open toed shoes around chickens. They see your toes wriggling and go for them. Child size toes look like fat worms.

It was flip flops! Oh gosh I never thought of that. Thank you for the tip!

 

[BDutch]

Even if it's fixable by giving her a two-week time out in another pen away from the rest, that might fix her behavior with other chickens,

I never had hens acting aggressive. I did have a cockerel who was and used the submission method on him. It worked for a couple of weeks. But his instincts to protect his girls came back every time.

Fyi: At that time I didn’t know I had to offer food to the men in charge first to avoid such behaviour.
He was too loud too. And I finally gave him back to the guy who sold him to me for being a hen.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

I’m glad to hear you’re giving her a second chance. One of my hens will peck my feet only when I wear a certain pair of coop boots- she will also pecks just as hard on my freckles (ok- age spots) on my hands. I assume it is her lack of awareness in pecking strength- she also pecks and beaks feed everywhere.

@aart gave excellent advice on how to peck back. I wouldn’t recommend you teach your daughter how to do that at 5 yrs old- she too may not know strength limits. You as the adult can teach the hen whenever your daughter and you are near enough to the hen AND the hen is acting up.

 

[turtlesback]

That’s a pic of her everyone