My hen attacked me WHY??????????????/

2newcomers said:

My 18 month-old Barred Rock hen (for sure a female!) has been attacking me nearly every time I go into the pen.  She used to be so friendly.  We did just integrate 3 new hens who are already larger than she, so maybe she is just not happy about that.  She drew blood in my hand a couple of times and has pecked at my feet and legs.  We have no roosters because I don't like having something attacking me.  You'd think she'd have learned by seeing them go bye-bye!  How do I try to stop this behavior?

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Are you sure she is a hen? Sounds like a rooster. Anyhow, I would scare the crap out of her, make her think I just might kill her at any time. lol You might have to get a little bit rough but of course you don't want to hurt her too bad. I wouldn't bother with the picking her up and making nice with her and all that mess. Knock her around a little bit and chase her - scare her! But keep in mind even if she does stop attacking you she might attack somebody else and a chicken can seriously injure somebody, especially a little kid. Those claws, spurs and beak can take an eye out easily. A good rooster helps keep peace in the coop. You just can't make a pet out of them. Of course there are exceptions to everything but most roosters raised as a pet will eventually attack you - and some breeds are worse than others.

Well, this one was laying eggs every day until she started to molt just recently and stopped laying...right on schedule, as it is the second fall for her. So I am calling it a girl. Just an old meanie right now. We have only females in the pen. No more little ones and no more attack birds...we thought! I have been stern with her, shoving her and yelling at her and squirting her with water. Guess I'll have to scare her better. I hope I don't scare the others while I am doing that. But I guess I need a little respect around here!

2newcomers said:

Well, this one was laying eggs every day until she started to molt just recently and stopped laying...right on schedule, as it is the second fall for her.  So I am calling it a girl.  Just an old meanie right now.  We have only females in the pen.  No more little ones and no more attack birds...we thought!  I have been stern with her, shoving her and yelling at her and squirting her with water.  Guess I'll have to scare her better.  I hope I don't scare the others while I am doing that.  But I guess I need a little respect around here!

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The others will get over it. Put your foot down and if that doesn't work put your foot down on her! Soup! lol

my 1 year old hen just attacked me. My leg has a few good scratches and one small puncture. She has always been a little odd. Her comb is 2 very very small combs and she has not much of a waddle ( I think that is the term ). We had 4 roosters so I definitly know a rooster!!! This chicken is white with some black feathers in her wings, her beak is much more thicker and longer than the other 3 hens. She has sort of become more dominant now that the roosters are gone. ( She was picked on by all the roosters when she was young.) The other chickens were also picked on by the roosters but not as much as "Sunshine". She also seemed to prefer being with the dominant rooster. This chicken also attacked my granddaughter in July. Not sure what to make of all this but if it continues, she's going to end up in the stew pot. Any comments or an answer to my dilemma would be much appreciated. thank you Rose

i had one that kept biting me ,i name her flipper because she would scream at me every time i went in the run, then sneak up and bite .I was told to pick her up every time she did and hold her till i was done and she would stop she did. Do you have a rooster i dont they tell me she was taking his place as protecter so she really has a purpose . Dont give up on her and dont let her know your afraid if you are!

i had one that kept biting me ,i name her flipper because she would scream at me every time i went in the run, then sneak up and bite .I was told to pick her up every time she did and hold her till i was done and she would stop she did. Do you have a rooster i dont they tell me she was taking his place as protecter so she really has a purpose . Dont give up on her and dont let her know your afraid if you are!

Chickens, especially younger ones are somewhat ambivalent about which sex they belong to. Out of frustration a hen who is having a bad feather day may act like a rooster. I am with centrarchid on this one.

I don't think that a chicken is capable of making leaps of logic in the way that Triple Willow seems to think that they are.