Biting behavior

[50-45-1]

I once had a feisty hen named Assa, she was jet black. She was head honcho of the flock and she did no like to be handled. She was very bossy and pecked everybody including me. She laid me eggs though, and I hatched her out. One year she went broody and hatched 6 chicks. Boy she turned into a terror, would not let even the rooster within 3 feet of her babies. One day I was washing dishes and heard a skwalking outside and glanced out the window and there was a red fox right by the coop and there was Assa head down, hackles up, flying in the Fox's face scratching and flogging like mad! She did this at least 3 times. I grabbed the gun on my way out the door at which the fox swapped ends and hi tailed it out of there. ASSA was really upset for about 5 minutes, squalling up a storm. All the other chickens had fled and hid, but not her. After the 5 minutes she made one slight cluck noise and all 6 of her babies appeared from different directions where I had not seen them.
I treasure any alpha hen I get since then. She sticks up for herself and was ready to die for her chicks. I admire that in chickens and in all species in fact. I have been chicken picked thousands of times, and only about 5 of those times did it leave a mark and even those did not require a bandaid.

 

[Jaxdrisc]

I once had a feisty hen named Assa, she was jet black. She was head honcho of the flock and she did no like to be handled. She was very bossy and pecked everybody including me. She laid me eggs though, and I hatched her out. One year she went broody and hatched 6 chicks. Boy she turned into a terror, would not let even the rooster within 3 feet of her babies. One day I was washing dishes and heard a skwalking outside and glanced out the window and there was a red fox right by the coop and there was Assa head down, hackles up, flying in the Fox's face scratching and flogging like mad! She did this at least 3 times. I grabbed the gun on my way out the door at which the fox swapped ends and hi tailed it out of there. ASSA was really upset for about 5 minutes, squalling up a storm. All the other chickens had fled and hid, but not her. After the 5 minutes she made one slight cluck noise and all 6 of her babies appeared from different directions where I had not seen them.
I treasure any alpha hen I get since then. She sticks up for herself and was ready to die for her chicks. I admire that in chickens and in all species in fact. I have been chicken picked thousands of times, and only about 5 of those times did it leave a mark and even those did not require a bandaid.

That’s a great story and a point well made! I’m not overly inclined, yet, to cull her as she is still young and was shaping up to be a good layer. I’m not looking to be besties, just not bitten. I’m sporting some serious bruises on my left hand, as she definitely grabs tissue. I’m going to modify my handling a bit, just carry her around some til she settled more with me. We’ll see. Thanks for the story!!

 

[Jaxdrisc]

Up to you.
If she's disrupting the harmony of chickeneering beyond your tolerance, get rid of her.
Have culled several 'trouble makers' (not for aggression tho) from my flock.
Hard decision, but has always been worth it.
@Mrs. K always says 'solve for the harmony of the flock'...that includes the keeper.
Some birds just don't fit in.

Nope. Not disrupting at all. She is low man. I had a head hen in the past that I put down after the continuous blood bath the coop turned into with her...ahem...management skills. This little gal is far from that. I’m not overly inclined to cull her yet...but thought I’d see what others thought. .we’ll see. Thanks!!

 

[Chickassan]

7 months, laying yet? I don't know much about speckled sussex, iv'e got one but they are hard to figure out. I do know they are nuts,and insistant on getting their points across and hormones make it so much worse like moody pre teens. Maybe she's just becoming a woman and has decided she hates the food lady for a little while.

 

[aart]

Nope. Not disrupting at all. She is low man. I had a head hen in the past that I put down after the continuous blood bath the coop turned into with her...ahem...management skills. This little gal is far from that. I’m not overly inclined to cull her yet...but thought I’d see what others thought. .we’ll see. Thanks!!

Well, it must disrupt your day a bit to get bit unto bruising
Low bird may be why she's so aggressive...they can be the feistiest when adding birds so....just a thought.

 

[Chickassan]

Ok just took a nice non distracted read "a miracle around here". She isn't laying, but she is nearing that age. I bet her new atitude is indeed raging hormones. The nutty crap iv'e seen POL pullets do could fill a book and this one being a speckled sussex just makes it worse. I think once she lays and puts her new found sass into something more productive than biting you she'll be a much more pleasant girl.