Bird from hell- please help!

[RAsChickens]

This is Theophania Isabelle, also known as Tiffany. Photo taken August 2017

She is an 9 month old, laying Buff Orp. She used to be my sweetest chicken. But that has changed over the past few days.

It has gotten to the point where I'm actually scared of her. She is so aggressive, it's scary. I was trying to pick up her sister, Anna, and Tiffany jumped on me, squawking and flapping. I accidentally opened the coop when she was in laying an egg and she screamed louder than I've ever heard an animal scream. An eardrum bursting scream. My ears were ringing after that scream.

She does do the submissive squat and let me pick her up, but when she's in my arms, she is a bird from hell. I had to make a hood out of paper towels and put it over her head during health checks.

I know she's completely healthy and happy, is never bullied or bullies, and does everything the other girls do. What could be wrong? If anyone says cull or rehome or something along those lines, you will be reported and ignored.

 

[Lavender Ro]

Hmmmmm, I don't usually have aggressive hens....you could try separating her so she will be down on the pecking order and bring her back in after a few days.

 

[sourland]

She is just indicating that she feels dominant to you. Very common with 'pet' roosters, but rather uncommon with hens. Her behavior will very likely escalate unless you convince her that you are dominant. There are threads on modifying human aggressive behavior.

 

[RAsChickens]

My fiance worked at a reptile sanctuary during college and handled poisonous snakes, and he came up with an idea. He picked her up and gently but firmly grabbed the feathers right behind her comb, then pushed her head down. He said this is done all the time with snakes, grabbing behind the head and pushing down to establish dominance. He held her like this for a few minutes, then let her down. She seemed calmer after that.

 

[aart]

Do you have a cock/erel in your flock?
If not, she may be 'assuming the role'.

gently but firmly grabbed the feathers right behind her comb, then pushed her head down.

Yeppers. Part of my technique, pasted below.
I'd try to do that when she 'attacks'.....hard and scary tho to get a hold of bird in attack mode, hard to keep calm then too with your own fight or flight adrenaline surging.

Have had this happen several times, mostly with hand fed chicks often as they come of age and get spunky. It's pretty easily curbed with calm and deliberate determination.

I peck them back, on the head or anywhere I can reach, with the tips of thumb and first 2 fingers, as hard and fast as many times as I can before they get away. Well, not hard enough to hurt them, just startle them and let them you mean business. That's what another chicken would do, so they understand that kind of communication.

If that doesn't work after a couple applications, I hold them down to the ground with my hand on their back until they submit....again firmly enough to get the job done but not hurt them....add a few finger pecks and/or tug on the feathers on the back of their neck.

 

[RAsChickens]

Do you have a cock/erel in your flock?
If not, she may be 'assuming the role'.


Yeppers. Part of my technique, pasted below.
I'd try to do that when she 'attacks'.....hard and scary tho to get a hold of bird in attack mode, hard to keep calm then too with your own fight or flight adrenaline surging.

Have had this happen several times, mostly with hand fed chicks often as they come of age and get spunky. It's pretty easily curbed with calm and deliberate determination.

I peck them back, on the head or anywhere I can reach, with the tips of thumb and first 2 fingers, as hard and fast as many times as I can before they get away. Well, not hard enough to hurt them, just startle them and let them you mean business. That's what another chicken would do, so they understand that kind of communication.

If that doesn't work after a couple applications, I hold them down to the ground with my hand on their back until they submit....again firmly enough to get the job done but not hurt them....add a few finger pecks and/or tug on the feathers on the back of their neck.

I don't have a roo