Chickens can have different personalities, some sweet and some more aggressive, their personalities shine through in their behavior.

Many people have been chased by chickens, some birds are simply more aggressive than others. If you want to keep this from happening it’s important to know why these animals do this. So, why do chickens chase you? This article looks into it

Chickens may chase you because they’re simply curious about you, because they want to assert their dominance as they see you as a threat, because they see you as a source of food, or because they are playing with you or are interested in you 

Why do chickens chase you?

Looking for food:

Chickens know who feeds them. Whether you throw food on the floor and allow them to forage or whether you hand feed them directly they will know that you are a source of food for them.

This is especially true if you feed them food that is delicious and out of the ordinary.

If your chicken suddenly starts following you, or even chasing you, then it may be looking to get some food out of you.

If you want the bird to stop, throw some food in the other direction and they will quickly run off in the direction of the food

You’re a threat:

All animals, including chickens, can become aggressive towards humans and other birds.

A chicken can chase you if the bird is the more aggressive and dominant bird in the flock. If there is a pecking order then the bird may see you as a threat.

Roosters in particular are very territorial, they will try to chase you if they think that you’re a danger to the flock.

You running away from the bird can make it chase even more, calmly walking past the bird makes you seem like less of a threat.

You’re a leader:

If the chicken is not threatened by you, it may see you as a leader of the flock, if you are a caregiver of a certain flock, the birds will treat you almost like a flock leader.

The flock leader is usually the rooster of the flock, however, the birds can also see a human as the flock leader, especially if you take care of generations of chickens.

The younger ones will follow the older ones who follow and chase you.

Attachment:

If a bird is attached to you, it will likely try to follow you around everywhere you go. Chickens enjoy having human contact, these animals will run up to you even if you’re not offering food.

If the bird is not being aggressive, then it just wants to spend some time with you. This can be sweet but it can also be a bit irritating. If you start to run off, to get away from the bird, it will also run after you trying to catch up

Curiosity:

If you’re new to the bird, the chicken may simply be curious about you. It may follow you around to see what you’re about and check you out.

Chickens can get bored doing the same routine over and over, so seeing a fresh face is a new and exciting experience for them. They may even follow you around until you leave

Playing around:

Chickens can follow you around as a way to amuse themselves.

These animals are quite clever and know how to play games, they can even be taught skills. If the chicken is following you around for no other reason, then it may be playing a game with you

How do I stop my chicken from attacking me?

If the reason for the chicken chasing you is that it is being aggressive and attacking you, this can become a problem. These animals may be small but they can give you injuries like gashed arms or bruised shins during the attack.

If a bird keeps attacking you, you may have to take precautions to get it to stop doing this:

Show that you’re superior: 

If a chicken is trying to attack you, you may need to show the bird who is superior to get it to back down. You can hold out a coat or a sack when you’re around the bird, this will make you look bigger and scarier. Picking the bird up will also show dominance 

Quality time: 

Sometimes the bird only needs to be taught that you are not a threat, you can show them this by befriending it and spending time with it. The more time you spend with it, the more comfortable it’ll be around you

Run it down 

This does not have to be done in an aggressive way, running the bird down simply means that you have to walk past the rooster, as it attacks you.

Do not stop or show weakness as you walk, take big steps towards the bird and stare the bird down, when the bird displays defeat, by looking down, you can walk away calmly and slowly

Keep the ratio healthy 

A rooster may attack you in order to show the flock who is boss, if there is not a healthy hen to rooster ratio in the flock, then the roosters may become aggressive and fight each other, and you, in order to show who is the head of the hierarchy.

To combat this, make sure that there is only one rooster for 10 hens in the flock, this one rooster will be less aggressive overall if this ratio is maintained

What breed of rooster is most aggressive? 

Certain roosters are naturally more aggressive than others, some of the more aggressive roosters include:

• Malay 

• American game 

• Old English game

• Shamo 

• Sumatra

• Aseel 

• Oriental game 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, chickens may chase you because they’re playing with you, because they’re curious about you, because they know you may have food to offer, because they’re trying to show their dominance, and because they are curious about you.

If the bird is acting aggressively towards you, then you may need to run the bird down, spend more time with it, or increase the hen to rooster ratio in the flock.

If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other chicken related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Can I shoot a hawk attacking my chickens?, Chicken behavior with humans, what is normal?, What do chickens do all day? all you need to know, Do chickens like mirrors? all you need to know,