Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: virgotiger on July 31, 2009, 14:29
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I'm new to keeping chickens and have 3 at the moment, a buff orpington bantam, a silkie and a red hen possibly rhode island red but not sure, and its her who's causing trouble.
When i go out into the garden she'll come up and peck my leg, ok it doesnt hurt but its rather annoying, i thought it was just me she's taken a disliking to but now when my 7 yr old daughter goes outside she does it to her, now shes too scared to go out! anyone know why she might be doing this? or what i can do to stop her? not sure of her age but over a year old. Thanks
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Is she trying to be the gaffer? You could try a plant spray to shock her or pin her down on the floor for a few seconds. Needs nipping in the bud if she's doing it to your daughter, hope that helps
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I think she's probably asking for her "scratch"(so-called because you scatter it and they scratch about to eat it), when you scatter them some corn/wheat or whatever. Mine expect theirs early evening when I get home from work, and they peck at my toes and hands if I go in empty handed. We do have a cockerel however, that does a full on attack(corn or not!) and I have to hold a big piece of wood in front of me when i go in, so he kicks that instead. It is possible to get a nasty hen, but lets hope she's just demanding corn. Try hand-feeding the corn when you go in, and see if its just that?
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well she'll do it even after i've just fed them..its everytime i go out be it to hang washing out or to collect eggs....i've sort of assumed she's top hen although she doesnt pick on the other 2. she's always the first to try anything..including coming into my house!
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Carry a water sprayer with you, and as soon as she starts to peck you, spray her with water
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Have you just tried always giving her some food when you go near her to distract her and maybe she will get out of the habit? :wub:
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i agree with kitkat, spray her or pin her down, show her who's boss or she'll just keep doing it
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orps and silkies are plascid hens but RIR are more excitable.
Its just her way of asking for food and attention.
Get your daughter to take out a cabbage leaf and let the hen eat it hand feeding is the key get your daughter to stroke the hen as she feeds it. when your daughter is more confident get her to pick the hen up. I have some RIR X's 12 weeks old and they peck for attention and food so its natural I just give them attention and food then they are fine.
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thanks for replies..i'm trying the "hold her down" my daughter is going back out as she does enjoy helping them find worms, she's just wearing extra clothes lol! (luckily summer seems to have gone!!) didnt realise my hen would want to keep me in order too hehe.
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this is a funny thread :D
i had a black orpington (we got rid of her in the end) who was down right nasty to my other chickens - a speck and a warren. the warren (who sadly died last weekend) was sooo tame it was unbelievable. she used to hear my voice and literally go beserk to come to me - she used to talk back (dont laugh!) to me and we could pick her up and the kids used to stroke her all the time and hand feed her. she even used to stroll upto the dog! i remember one day opening the back door where they came face to face and i just held my breath.....and it was fine :)
i hope you get her sorted its a shame if your daughter is wary cos they are wonderful creatures!
broodyhen x
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well hopefully i'll be able to put her in her place, as she does have a great personality and is a joy to watch..she's ok with the other 2 hens..just me and my daughter!
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Hi Virgotiger,
I agree with the other posters who said your hen is just attention seeking. You say she's over a year old so has obviously had a previous owner who probably fed her a handful of corn every time they appeared. I wouldn't try to squirt her with water or try to traumatise her in any way. Either you can just ignore her and she will probably grow out of it or just give her a small handful of corn and indulge her.
Re aggressive cocks - unfortunately once a cock develops this attacking habit it's close to imposible to cure him. I've tried many things and never fully succeeded. The most successful I've been is to be as passive as possible and never turn my back on them. The best thing is to not encourage it developing in the first place. I had a cock who was triggerd by a pair of boots I used to wear which had a large colourful "tongue" which used to flap as I didn't usually do the laces up and he did like these. It was like a red rag to a bull. Whatever you do don't try to beat him or square up to him that just makes them worse. Once had a cock who was fine with me but as soon as my son in law entered the run he would fly at him. I found my son in law would give him a kick which just served to reinforce his behaviour. Another thing you should always do when a cock is running with hens is to offer the cock any titbits FIRST as otherwise he sees you as a rival trying to lure his hareem away. If you offer him the food first he will drop it in front of the hens and bob his head up and down whilst making a loud clicking noise. This is to encourage the hens to eat and reinforce his position as the provider.
By observing how your hens behave, particularly with a cock, will teach you a lot about their natural behaviour and is half the fun of keeping these interesting animals.
Best wishes
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Hi Virgotiger
I agree with the other posts, apart from squirting water at hens, this really doesn't help, it is usually a domiance thing when this happens, do you have a cock bird? I take it that you don't or if you do he is not treading the hens!!!!!
so unfortunatly for you you will have to do it! sounds crazy but it works every time, catch the bird but instead of picking her up hold her down in between the wings and rub her back side to side quite firmly, as soon as she lifts her tail let her go, do this a few times and she will stop, its the same as pinning a dominant dog to the ground.
But please don't anybody go spraying your birds with water, this will just stress them out
Jay
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i dont have a cock....and my hens did have a previous owner..who had loads of hens, she was downsizing...i've had them maybe 6 weeks now i keep them in their run in the morning until they've eaten their layers pellets or else they will leave them to go foraging in the garden and the hen i'm talking about started laying soft eggs after a couple of weeks this seems to have helped her get over that, other than that once they have had their layers pellets they have run of the garden. in the afternoon i chuck some corn over the grass for them and they also get vegetables just before i put them away for the night.....i'm now wondering that as she had lice and i had to treat her for it which she didnt like too much (my clumsy first couple of efforts!) she may see me as a threat or something......oh how i wish i could get in my hens head to see what she's thinking!!
thanks for replies!
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That's a very good suggestion from Archiesgems it could be that she sees you as the cock. I certainly have had hens who see me as their surrogate cock and usually if this is the case they will turn their back to you and squat with their wings held stiffly to out to the side and their tails raised. This is the submissive mating position they adopt when they want the cock to mount them. You can induce many hens to adopt this posture which makes them easy to pick up by pressing their back ends down. You can do as Archiesgems suggests though if it is the reason she's seeking attention it probably won't stop her doing it though it might make her less persistant.
Regards
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Make sure they always have oyster shell available to them for extra calcium to build their egg shells virgotiger !
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I would just like to say although the water method doesn't seem to be recommended it didn't stress them at all, I used it once to stop 2 hens scrapping, 1 squirt and they went their seperate ways, another time before i could move a broody hen to a seperate den the temperature went up high so i sprayed her and i swear she enjoyed it :lol:
Anyway, good luck with your hen :)
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my hen does do the squat thing when i go to pick her up! as for oyster shell if i leave it in a separate dish they dont touch it so i mix a bit in with their feed..sometimes it still gets left behind! is there anything food wise that i can give for calcium? they dont seem too fussy when it comes to my kids sneaking out their left overs but i'm not too sure what they can or cant have apart from veg ,corn and pellets! thanks
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Although Aunt Sally puts stress on separately feeding oyster shell in actual fact you don't needed to as if you feed them good quality layers (pellets preferably) this contains a balanced diet for egg laying and has all the calcium they need. You do need to ensure they have access to insoluable grit as hens don't have teeth and they rely on grit in their gizzards to grind up their food (particularly if they eat corn). Hens kept on grass with access to open ground will find all the grit they need unless it's clay and therefore to be sure you can suppliment it with mixed grit which contains oyster shell as well as insoluable grit. (Grit comes in soluable (generally oyster shell) or insoluable (crushed gravel) or mixed). I use mixed in a sepaqrte gritbox not in their food, but really it's just extra insurance.
Re nutrition generally you should feed a basic diet of layers pellets. Much easier for a small number of hens than mash which needs to be fed in troughs per meal whereas pellets are more hygenic in free range systems and can be fed ad lib in gravity hoppers. You can suppliment this with a treat such as a handful of corn per hen each evening (no more). Household scraps are OK but don't over feed or you'll unbalance their diet.
Chickens are like children who would eat crisps, ice cream and sweets permanently if you offered them. It's OK to offer them "treats " ocassionally (once a week and no more than 10% of their total diet) things such as sweet corn, pasta, cooked rice. Fresh veg such as lettuce tomatoes, grapes, apples, cabbage is Ok. Mine don't touch carrot. Potatoes & peelings should be cooked as starch is indigestible. They will also eat most things with seeds such as melon seeds or seeds from peppers though not the chilli ones (at least I haven't tried this). Don't give them citrus fruit at all.
Some people on this site feed cat meat as an extra protein suppliment and a treat but I'm very dubious about this as overweight hens are unhealthy and they can be prone to being obese quite apart from the fact it's illegal to do this if there's any danger of the animal entering the human or animal food chain. If you feel the need to provide extra protein for a medical issue such as recovery from a heavy moult or illness you can feed growers pellets which contain more protein or I guess dried cat food if you don't intend to eat the chicken. However once the need has passed revert back to layers which as I have said provides a healthy balanced diet. You'll find lots of people advocating alsorts of concoctions to feed then . I've seen people who think it's a good idea to mix rolled oats, honey & yogurt and other goodies together as their patent health mix. They maybe OK occassionallly as a treat but for normal staple diet trust the experts at the feed companies who have proven their formula scientifically and don't be tempted to overdose on suppliments unless your vet or a similarly knowledgible person has recommended it for a medical reason.
Incidentally I use Spillers Layer pellets, poultry corn, and Marriages Growers.
Regards
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I know this helped for us ........whenever we get a pecky hen,or cockerel for that matter, I follow the advice of a friend which was to instantly pick it up for a cuddle, as this is the last thing they are expecting and it seems to work. I do however think it works best with a young bird.
I'm still only 18 months into this hen keeping thing so if I am way out here I am sure someone will put me right.
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thanks for the advice...not sure on the make of the layers pellets as where i get it from(the only place near me, jolleyes) its in a big barrel and you just fill your bucket with however much you need...but have asked my local pet shop to get some in for me and also some grit/oyster shell mix...hopefully better quality..they are free range hens so would think they get everything they need..plenty of snails although they only eat tiny ones i would think the shells on those are just as good..surely?..thank heavens for this site!!!!
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...Hillfooter...i've been playing "surrogate cock" all afternoon and when she comes for a peck i hold and do as you suggested..she actually seems to have backed of a bit!
i'm sat in the garden now and all 3 are having a dust bath....makes it all worth while these little moments! x
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...Hillfooter...i've been playing "surrogate cock" all afternoon and when she comes for a peck i hold and do as you suggested..she actually seems to have backed of a bit!
i'm sat in the garden now and all 3 are having a dust bath....makes it all worth while these little moments! x
sounds like a nice afternoon ??? ??? :lol: :lol: sorry off to the "norty step!"
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:lol: i wonder if all chicken keepers are a wee bit of their trollies lol my other half thinks i've lost the plot!! or maybe he feels left out..
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Although Aunt Sally puts stress on separately feeding oyster shell in actual fact you don't needed to as if you feed them good quality layers (pellets preferably) this contains a balanced diet for egg laying and has all the calcium they need. You do need to ensure they have access to insoluable grit as hens don't have teeth and they rely on grit in their gizzards to grind up their food (particularly if they eat corn). Hens kept on grass with access to open ground will find all the grit they need unless it's clay and therefore to be sure you can suppliment it with mixed grit which contains oyster shell as well as insoluable grit. (Grit comes in soluable (generally oyster shell) or insoluable (crushed gravel) or mixed). I use mixed in a sepaqrte gritbox not in their food, but really it's just extra insurance.
Re nutrition generally you should feed a basic diet of layers pellets (much easier for a small number of hens than mash which needs to be fed in troughs per meal whereas pellets are more hygenic in free range systems and can be fed ad lib in gravity hoppers.) You can suppliment this with a treat such as a handful of corn per hen each evening (no more). Household scraps are OK but don't over feed or you'll unbalance their diet. Chickens are like children who would eat crisps, ice cream and sweets permanently if you offered them. It's OK to offer them "treats " ocassionaly (once a week and no more than 10% of their total diet) things such as sweet corn, pasta, cooked rice. Fresh veg such as lettuce tomatoes, grapes, apples, cabbage is Ok. Mine don't touch carrot. Potatoes & pealings should be cooked as starch is indigestible. They will also eat most things with seeds such as melon seeds or seeds from peppers though not the chilli ones (at least I haven't tried this). Don't give them citrus fruit at all. Some people on this site feed cat meat as an extra protien suppliment and a treat but I'm very dubious about this overweight hens are unhealthy and they can be prone to being obesse quite apart from from the fact it's illegal to do this if there's any danger of the animal entering the human or animal food chain. If you feel the need to provide extra protien for a medical issue such as recovery from a heavy molt or illness you can feed growers pellets which contain more protein or I guess dried cat food if you don't intend to eat the chicken. However once the need has passed revert back to layers which as I have said provides a healthy balanced diet. You find lots of people advocating alsorts of concoctions to feed then . I've seen people who think it's a good idea to mix rolled oats, honey & yogurt and alsorts of goodies together as their patent health mix. They maybe OK occassionallly as a treat but for normal staple diet trust the experts at the feed companies who have proven their formula scientifically and don't be tempted to overdose on suppliments unless your vet or a similarly knowledgible person has recommended it for a medical reason.
Incidentally I use Spillers Layer pellets, poultry corn, and Marriages Growers.
Regards
Sorry hillfooter, I can't read your post as it is one HUGE paragraph >:(
I did managet the first half sentance before it all became a blurrrrrrrr :(
If your hens free range they will not be eating pellets all the time so you need to ensure that an extra source of calcium is provided.
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wash their egg shells, bake them in the oven and then crush them. Mix this with their feed or sprinkle on your lawn and they will peck at it and eat - well mine do anyway :D
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Although Aunt Sally puts stress on separately feeding oyster shell in actual fact you don't needed to as if you feed them good quality layers (pellets preferably) this contains a balanced diet for egg laying and has all the calcium they need. You do need to ensure they have access to insoluable grit as hens don't have teeth and they rely on grit in their gizzards to grind up their food (particularly if they eat corn). Hens kept on grass with access to open ground will find all the grit they need unless it's clay and therefore to be sure you can suppliment it with mixed grit which contains oyster shell as well as insoluable grit. (Grit comes in soluable (generally oyster shell) or insoluable (crushed gravel) or mixed). I use mixed in a sepaqrte gritbox not in their food, but really it's just extra insurance.
Re nutrition generally you should feed a basic diet of layers pellets (much easier for a small number of hens than mash which needs to be fed in troughs per meal whereas pellets are more hygenic in free range systems and can be fed ad lib in gravity hoppers.) You can suppliment this with a treat such as a handful of corn per hen each evening (no more). Household scraps are OK but don't over feed or you'll unbalance their diet. Chickens are like children who would eat crisps, ice cream and sweets permanently if you offered them. It's OK to offer them "treats " ocassionaly (once a week and no more than 10% of their total diet) things such as sweet corn, pasta, cooked rice. Fresh veg such as lettuce tomatoes, grapes, apples, cabbage is Ok. Mine don't touch carrot. Potatoes & pealings should be cooked as starch is indigestible. They will also eat most things with seeds such as melon seeds or seeds from peppers though not the chilli ones (at least I haven't tried this). Don't give them citrus fruit at all. Some people on this site feed cat meat as an extra protien suppliment and a treat but I'm very dubious about this overweight hens are unhealthy and they can be prone to being obesse quite apart from from the fact it's illegal to do this if there's any danger of the animal entering the human or animal food chain. If you feel the need to provide extra protien for a medical issue such as recovery from a heavy molt or illness you can feed growers pellets which contain more protein or I guess dried cat food if you don't intend to eat the chicken. However once the need has passed revert back to layers which as I have said provides a healthy balanced diet. You find lots of people advocating alsorts of concoctions to feed then . I've seen people who think it's a good idea to mix rolled oats, honey & yogurt and alsorts of goodies together as their patent health mix. They maybe OK occassionallly as a treat but for normal staple diet trust the experts at the feed companies who have proven their formula scientifically and don't be tempted to overdose on suppliments unless your vet or a similarly knowledgible person has recommended it for a medical reason.
Incidentally I use Spillers Layer pellets, poultry corn, and Marriages Growers.
Regards
I read that book to, and found that it didn't make any sense either. chucks will eat anything, watch a wild one and you would be shocked as it hunts for mice, they are origanally omnivorous,
Feed grit and oyster shell regardless of the pellet make, even if it comes from the queen herself, the birds still need this to break down their feed in their crops.
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i've been baking their egg shells and crushing them and putting it in with their layers pellets as on its own they wont touch it(the egg shells) the grit i do keep seperately and although i'm not sure how much to give it goes down gradually so i'm guessing they take what they need...its only the one hen causing me grief....... :(
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here's my naughty girl the day i got her....... not sure if she's a rir or something else..
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I dont think thats a rhodey, looks like a warren to me :)
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I read that book to, and found that it didn't make any sense either. chucks will eat anything, watch a wild one and you would be shocked as it hunts for mice, they are origanally omnivorous,
Feed grit and oyster shell regardless of the pellet make, even if it comes from the queen herself, the birds still need this to break down their feed in their crops.
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Archiesgems I'm not sure what your comment is refering to but my advice on Layers feed came from one of the few professionally qualified animal nutritionalists in the country and who is an animal scientist working for a major feeds company so I tend to trust it. The point is if a hen isn't consuming grit these's no need to be concerned as she'll be getting it in her feed and will be picking it up from the environment in this case.
However as I said I personally don't put my money where my mouth is on this one as I do make mixed grit available. Probably because every book I've read avocates using insoluable & soluable (oyster shell for calcium) grit but I think really that's just motherhood and today's feeds including those not supplied by the queen contain all the calcium needed for egg shells.
Of course if their eggs show a shell problem the standard advice is to increase the calcium level but there are also other minerals and vitamins deficiencies or excesses which could be to blame including how individual hens metabolise these substances.
Regards
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like you Hillfooter, I base the feed on layers pellets, available ad lib, they are sort of free range, having the free run of my large garden, but have still put down a hopper of mixed grit.
They (and there is 22 of them) gradually eat their way through the oyster shell, at a rate of about a handful a month, but don't eat the grit (I guess they find enough of that in my rose garden!). At such a small amount being eaten, I also believe there is enough in the good quality layers/breeders pellets I give them. But its good to know that the grit/oyster shell is available for when they feel the need :D
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UPDATE!! i've been playing surrogate cock for a couple of days now..and the last 2 times i've gone out into the garden my pecky hen has come up to me and just looked at me with those beady little eyes..but no peck! so hopefully i've put her in her place! thanks for all the advice!