Hen has gotten super food agressive…

[PoppasGrill]

One of our hens, RIR, has gotten real food agressive in the past 3-4 weeks. To the point of when when enter the coop at feeding time she will fly up on us and try to get into the bucket. When we put food down in the trough she attacks it like she hasn’t eaten in days. She hasn’t gotten skinny and she is laying, though less than her sisters.
I know the roosters, even the bantams, seem to target her when she gets off the roosting bars, even with 10 other hens at the trough they beeline to her, so we will put some feed up on top for her.
When she sees us coming in the door she will fly up at us looking to get to the feed first.
We are going to isolate her for a bit this week, to see if she calms some, and if the aggression lessens with access to food without competition.

 

[sourland]

I'd isolate the roosters that are harassing her and keeping her from eating.

 

[Mrs. K]

Set up mulitiple feed stations, and situate them so that birds eating at that station cannot see birds eating at another station. It does not have to be pretty, and to be honest they will eat it off the ground.

I generally have 3-4 stations for 12 birds.

Also - sometimes people rather love it when the chickens come running to them when bringing the feed. But it can get mob like. And mob-like can bring on a adrenalin rush that can lead to aggression.

Instead of feeding everyone right away when you get there. Just leave the feed outside, and deal with the water first. They will calm down a bit, then feed. Or even, set out the feed, before you let them out of the coop.

Mrs K

 

[NatJ]

when when enter the coop at feeding time she will fly up on us and try to get into the bucket. When we put food down in the trough she attacks it like she hasn’t eaten in days.

It sounds like she is not getting enough to eat, for one reason or another.

Is there feed available all the time? Or is the feeder empty when you get there?
If the feeder is empty, you may not be giving them enough food. Try giving them more.

I know the roosters, even the bantams, seem to target her when she gets off the roosting bars, even with 10 other hens at the trough they beeline to her, so we will put some feed up on top for her.

You might have too many roosters, or not enough space for hens to get away from them.

We are going to isolate her for a bit this week, to see if she calms some, and if the aggression lessens with access to food without competition.

If she has been going hungry, then it will probably help if you isolate her with unlimited food. But once she has a few days of getting enough to eat, you will still have to deal with whatever was causing her to be hungry in the first place.

 

[PoppasGrill]

It sounds like she is not getting enough to eat, for one reason or another.

Is there feed available all the time? Or is the feeder empty when you get there?
If the feeder is empty, you may not be giving them enough food. Try giving them more.


You might have too many roosters, or not enough space for hens to get away from them.


If she has been going hungry, then it will probably help if you isolate her with unlimited food. But once she has a few days of getting enough to eat, you will still have to deal with whatever was causing her to be hungry in the first place.

We don’t have food available all the time due to a previous rat issue, though when we give them breakfast there are always troughs with feed in them later in the morning. We feed again in mid afternoon.
None of the other hens get that aggressive, they do come swarming around us, but she is the only one that flys up at us.
We have 75 hens, which is why we are questioning her behavior as the only food aggressive hen.
As stated earlier, we will be isolating her a few days to see if anything changes.