Chicken suddenly aggressive?

[cackleberryandco]

I have a flock of 7. They have always been friendly and social girls. Over the last two weeks I was in Traverse City visiting family, and my mom had come down with Covid so she stayed home and cared for my chickens while I was gone. Recently it has been very cold outside. My mom, asymptomatic and bored in her quarantine, spent lots of time with my chickens, giving them goodies and warm snacks to keep them warm. I returned yesterday and this morning before I left for school (I have to commute 25+ minutes to downtown Chicago for school so I was in a rush) I went out to see them and it was very cold out, wind chill of 0 degrees Fahrenheit, snow blowing sideways. I had some warm scrambled eggs and some corn for them.

I crouched down to say hello and one of my girls, a buff brahma bantam, pecked at my knee multiple times so hard it bled and left two noticeable marks. Now, I'm used to the curious pecks but this seemed like more, none of my girls have ever drawn blood with their beaks before. She also would not let me pet our touch her and was pecking at my hands when I was trying to put down the food. This may be an overreaction on my part, but both of my bantams are normally very shy and sweet so it is just unusual for them. Could she be a rooster? She's about 26 weeks old, no eggs yet but we haven't gotten eggs from any of our girls yet not even the 8 month old ones, mostly because by the time they got old enough it was already winter. No crowing either as far as I'm concerned. Or could it be that they just didn't recognize me right away after being gone for awhile?

I can post pictures of the two bantams when I get home later. They both look the same and they have different colored leg bands that tell them apart but I wasn't able to catch which one of them it was so I can post both.

Thanks for helping if you do! I'm definitely not an expert on chicken behaviors so if you have any other ideas that would be great

 

[MysteryChicken]

Not unusual to have aggressive females. I have myself an aggressive hen I named Mean Lady.

 

[cackleberryandco]

Not unusual to have aggressive females. I have myself an aggressive hen I named Mean Lady.

Mean Lady! I love it. I know sometimes they’re just aggressive, it was just a random personality change for a girl who has always been very shy and sweet. Was just nervous because last time this happened, he ended up being a rooster. I’m sure I am just paranoid because of that though

 

[MysteryChicken]

Mean Lady! I love it. I know sometimes they’re just aggressive, it was just a random personality change for a girl who has always been very shy and sweet. Was just nervous because last time this happened, he ended up being a rooster. I’m sure I am just paranoid because of that though

Thanks. Here's Mean Lady.

Was the previous rooster aggressive?

 

[cackleberryandco]

Thanks. Here's Mean Lady.View attachment 2950564Was the previous rooster aggressive?

She’s cute! Yes, my previous rooster who was supposed to be a hen started out very sweet and shy and cuddly and then all of a sudden turned into a major jerk both to us and the chickens. Then we heard the crowing a few days later

 

[MysteryChicken]

She’s cute! Yes, my previous rooster who was supposed to be a hen started out very sweet and shy and cuddly and then all of a sudden turned into a major jerk both to us and the chickens. Then we heard the crowing a few days later

Thanks.

Sometimes it's just the hormones that trigger aggression, other times it's inherited. Inherited Aggression is most often time human aggression which isn't always curable. Hormonal aggression can be fixed, by separating the rowdy cockerel(s), or through training. Training is showing who's boss, by handling him. I usually begin the taming/training process from day 1, before hormones kick in, which seems to work best.

 

[aart]

Change in schedule/personnel, and special feeding.
Do not put up with this, peck her back.

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.