Aggressive chicken

[Coraline_abel]

I have four girls, all around 5 months old. Recently, one of them (my barred rock) started aggressively biting me when I go into the coop and even when she’s out in the yard. I’ve tried holding her down or “pecking” back at her when she does it but it doesn’t seem to be helping yet. Two of them have started laying in the last week but I’m not sure if she is one of them. Any thoughts or suggestions on what I could do would be much appreciated!

 

[Punkybrewster]

You sure its a hen?

 

[azygous]

Okay. Biting is a serious problem, but pecking on the back of the leg to get your attention may not be. So, can you distinguish between the two?

I had a Buff Brahma roo named Penrod several years back when I was pretty new to chickens still. He had a hair trigger when it came to sudden movement in his immediate space. He would drill me with his beak like a high speed electric driver, producing a nasty, painful, deep hole in my hide.

On the other hand, I have a few hens that compete for my attention by coming up to me when I'm cuddling one of their mates, and they peck me on my knee or arm, usually with a sliding beak action that mostly is painless.

Chickens communicate with each other and with us by using their beaks to get across a point. They use their beaks to discipline younger chickens and to convey displeasure with their peers. And also with us. And that leads me back to Penrod.

If it's biting, and not pecking, that's at issue, discipline is definitely called for. Biting is serious and can do great harm. So you need to be very consistent when this happens. It took me an entire year to break Penrod of his biting, and that long to train myself not to contribute to this awful habit of his.

As with a lot of chicken bad behavior, we chicken keepers play a role in it. We need to recognize what we are doing to contribute and stop it. In my and Penrod's case, I was always in high gear and made a lot of jerky, sudden, quick movements. I had to discipline myself to slow down as I entered his space.

On Penrod's side, each time he bit me, I would grab his beak and hang on until he relaxed and submitted. This is how a senior rooster disciplines a younger one. Disciplining a chicken using their language is the most effective method. It's very simple and straight forward, and they "get it".

Your hen may calm down after she begins to lay. Hens usually get wound up as they come into lay, and as the hormones settle down, the problem does, too.

 

[chkva]

I just had a hen that was aggressive randomly the past two days and she was really nice before... We put out another nesting box last night and she laid an egg today plus there's zero aggression from her today! One nesting box for 3 chickens I heard was enough, but apparently not according to my chickens!

I've learned that there's always a reason for them to be the way they are whether it's just their natural personality or something is wrong according to them even if we follow all the ins and outs of chickens! They're definitely interesting creatures!

 

[Coraline_abel]

It’s definitely biting, to the point where it breaks skin and draws blood. She was always very sweet until recently. I’m still going to keep working with her. Hopefully I can get it under control soon.

 

[chkva]

It’s definitely biting, to the point where it breaks skin and draws blood. She was always very sweet until recently. I’m still going to keep working with her. Hopefully I can get it under control soon.

Could be that her hormones are raging from her about to lay her first egg or she just recently laid and her hormones are raging. Once mine laid it's first egg, it stopped being aggressive. It was like night and day. Yesterday she was chasing everyone pecking them hard, after laying her first egg this morning she's mellow and wants to be pet.

How many nesting boxes do you have for your 5 chickens?

 

[azygous]

It's also possible for a hen, once she begins to lay, to be especially reactive to being disturbed when she's on the nest. I have a Cream Legbar hen that is very sweet and reserved, but she's a tyrant when I open the nest box when she's in there, trying to gather eggs under her previously laid by other hens. She will haul off and unceremoniously hammer my hand with her beak. She's taught me it's dangerous to disturb her. I'm a slow learner, though, and she repeats the lesson as needed.

 

[Coraline_abel]

I think I figured out the issue. When she was biting me, I was wearing shorts. The last few days I’ve gone out in long pants with no issue. This morning I went out in shorts and the biting started again.

 

[chkva]

I think I figured out the issue. When she was biting me, I was wearing shorts. The last few days I’ve gone out in long pants with no issue. This morning I went out in shorts and the biting started again.

Chickens crack me up! At least you figured it out

 

[azygous]

Some of out chickens can be strangely critical of our fashion choices. You were being punished for not obeying your flock's dress code.