Chicken turned full on CUJO! Biting!

[JoD2Tall]

Hi, I have 5 different hens that just turned 1 year old. They are all handled regularly, and my Plymouth Rock, who was always very sweet, literally just started attacking me with twisting bites! Then she tries to spur me like a pheasant rooster. I've never had a chicken rooster, so it's the best I can describe. This girl wants to fight! She comes at me, like she's going to eat me???
No changes in environment, food, and she still laying like normal.
I went away for several days to visit my son, and my husband helps me care for them daily. So, he maintained our routine while I was away.
All the others are acting very normal.
I never thought I'd want to pile drive a chicken, but the thought momentarily surfaced. She's gone cookoo for finger puffs.
Please help, if you have any insight while I, clean my wounds, and design a bubble wrapped ball to re-enter her majesty's presence.
Oh, and she is definitely the leader of the pack. So, I don't want her teaching the others that we have a West Side Storyline building up here!

 

[Nonafel]

Is she the dominate hen of the group?

I always wear gloves around the cheeps just as a precaution, my fingers are important. Their claws are sharp too...

 

[FrostRanger]

Do a health check on her but you may end up having to cull her. I've had success with getting a less aggressive hen to leave me alone (she was only biting when I got close and not hard) but her behavior is far more extreme and could end up hurting someone

Thankfully extreme human aggression in hens isn't common but it's still no more tolerable than it is in roosters and she shouldn't be allowed to breed as she can pass her attitude on to her chicks

 

[JoD2Tall]

Is she the dominate hen of the group?

I always wear gloves around the cheeps just as a precaution, my fingers are important. Their claws are sharp too...

Yes, she is the leader.

 

[JoD2Tall]

Do a health check on her but you may end up having to cull her. I've had success with getting a less aggressive hen to leave me alone (she was only biting when I got close and not hard) but her behavior is far more extreme and could end up hurting someone

Thankfully extreme human aggression in hens isn't common but it's still no more tolerable than it is in roosters and she shouldn't be allowed to breed as she can pass her attitude on to her chicks

Thank you for the reply, this is so unlike her?? Not sure what to check for?

 

[FrostRanger]

Thank you for the reply, this is so unlike her?? Not sure what to check for?

Mites, lice, injuries, anything out of the ordinary. Also observe her to see if she's otherwise acting normal. In all likelihood she just has a bad attitude that has only become apparent now but it's good to rule out medical issues as a cause before culling her

 

[FrostRanger]

And while you're waiting to make a decision, don't be afraid of her, don't let her on you and if she attacks hold her down and peck her with your fingers with a decent amount of force. Obviously you aren't trying to hurt her but you are trying to get the point across, repeat as needed

As I said though, her temperament is likely just due to bad genetics so no matter what you do never breed her and I would cull her if she doesn't shape up fairly soon

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Ask your husband if anything odd or unusual happened between him and her while you were gone. This sounds like trauma to me.

 

[JoD2Tall]

And while you're waiting to make a decision, don't be afraid of her, don't let her on you and if she attacks hold her down and peck her with your fingers with a decent amount of force. Obviously you aren't trying to hurt her but you are trying to get the point across, repeat as needed

As I said though, her temperament is likely just due to bad genetics so no matter what you do never breed her and I would cull her if she doesn't shape up fairly soon

I'm not afraid of her, and I hold my own.

She will not be bred for sure.

I did notice her starting to chase my English Setter just before I left. We thought it was kind of funny, as my dog is a bird dog, but was taught the moment the chicks arrived, that they were "no bird" and "leave it's." My dogs walk with my hens when we go looking for bugs and forage. But, just recently Rocky has chased the bird dog away from her finds. Now I'm rethinking funny. Hmmm?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

So it sounds like you don't have a rooster?