WendyTestaburger
Songster
I have a six month old Salmon Faverolle named Tabitha. She has always been small and feisty, for a little while we thought she would be the head hen of her generation of the flock but after integration she seems to have gotten "checked" enough by the bigger girls to give that title to our six month old Welsummer.
The strange behavior is that Tabitha pecks if you go to pick her up. Not hard, it seems like a last effort deterrent on her part. But once I wrap her in my coat she immediately nuzzles in and falls asleep. I've never had a chicken do this and so consistently. I've tried carrying her around in my coat while I do some chicken chores, since she seems to enjoy being in there, with the hopes that she would stop the initial peck but she hasn't seemed to be able to put the two together - getting picked up = warm fuzzy place I enjoy.
Has anyone else had a chicken act this way? Also does this sound like a fight or flight response? I worry that she has an underlying condition or possibly is so stressed out from being held she pretends to sleep out of fear? I definitely don't want to continue trying to win her over if it's causing that much trauma! I've honestly only had one other chicken peck me and they were in the nest box so it was a little easier for me to understand why they want me to buzz off.
The strange behavior is that Tabitha pecks if you go to pick her up. Not hard, it seems like a last effort deterrent on her part. But once I wrap her in my coat she immediately nuzzles in and falls asleep. I've never had a chicken do this and so consistently. I've tried carrying her around in my coat while I do some chicken chores, since she seems to enjoy being in there, with the hopes that she would stop the initial peck but she hasn't seemed to be able to put the two together - getting picked up = warm fuzzy place I enjoy.
Has anyone else had a chicken act this way? Also does this sound like a fight or flight response? I worry that she has an underlying condition or possibly is so stressed out from being held she pretends to sleep out of fear? I definitely don't want to continue trying to win her over if it's causing that much trauma! I've honestly only had one other chicken peck me and they were in the nest box so it was a little easier for me to understand why they want me to buzz off.