Will chickens bite if you pet them?

Question

Will chickens bite if you pet them?

Answer 1

Chickens dont "bite" they "peck".

The only reason that a chicken would bite you would be if you hurt them in anyway. Weather it be male or female they may defend themselves. If a hen is setting on eggs she will peck to protect them, even if you are no threaat. Or if you have a rooster with hens, sometimes they will attack you in order to protect his flock.

If you are afraid, then I recommend getting chciks that are pullets(females). There great to watch and have and give you free eggs when they are old enuff at 5 or more months

Answer 2

They can peck and nip, but unless they poke you in the eye or grab some truly tender skin, it doesn't really hurt. They can however give you a nasty scratch if not handled properly (so be sure to cleanse it right away because poultry poo can communicate disease to humans and chicken feet are not clean even if they look that way).

Not all chickens like to be handled, but if you start them when they are young, most take to it. Be gentle and patient, they aren't exceptionally bright critters, but they are surprisingly trainable with repetition. Do be sure to treat them for mites though, because you can become the next host.

ADDED: Pullets are young "chickens", but not necessarily female. You can buy "sexed" birds for a little extra, as roosters are not usually kept as "pets" unless they are utilized for breeding or fought inhumanly. Their crowing and innate agression can become problematic in most instances.

THE-COOP.ORG is a useful site for more info and has a good links section.

Answer 3

no, but they might peck you. They don't have teeth.

Answer 4

My chicken never pecked me. Even the rooster never did. But when I had enough of petting them, and i sent them to my relatives in a village, the rooster turned out to be very aggressive, towards my relatives.

Answer 5

Chickens do not bite, but they will eat right out of your hand.  

Answer 6

no ive had chickens for 15 years never been pecked by them

Answer 7

I have had chickens as pets and they were very gentle.  They would let you hold them and pet them.  They would also eat all the misquotes that were around us so we never had to worry about getting biten by bugs when they were around. The chickens that were not tame didn't beak anyone, but they would run away so it was hard to even get a chance at petting them.