Crazy Aggressive Hen

[angel28]

Hi all
Sorry to post again but I need to see if I can stop this behaviour as the hen is still young.

One of my Maran hens, Rose, is driving me crazy

As an example, I just went in to bath one of the other hens eyes in warm water (see my other thread)
with a soft cotton pad. The poorly hen herself is very placid and tame, but Rose the unmentionable thing,
kept trying to steal the pad off me! Finally when she was not looking I got to quickly bath the eye. Then when I wasn't
on the ball for one second, Rose yanks it out of my hand and I'm chasing her around the pen like a headless chicken!

I put my hand over to try and snatch it off her and she chases me off angrily. If I try to push her off gently with my foot it en
courages her and she will try pecking my shoe. She has also pecked my fingers twice and my trousers once.

Whenever I go in to see her she and the other hen Penny (who is copying from Rose now) crowd around the door so
I have to push them out of the way to go in. They are always around my feet too, jumping up to try and get food.
It is soooo annoying and since they will grow to around half the size they are now, I am slightly getting worried about going
in to feed them now

 

[faykokoWV]

sounds like they are putting you at the bottom of the pecking order (they may have actually pecked your other hens eye)
you need to peck back. carry a stick in with you and if they come at you give them a firm tap -pecking them first.

Also, have you been hand feeding treats? They can get a little demanding over these sometimes, she may have thought the cotton pad was a treat and tried to eat it.

 

[feathersnuggles]

Hi, here's a tip. Do your eye-bathing or whatever else medical you need to do (where you need your "patient" to be relaxed and quiet while you work) ...do it AWAY from all the other birds. You will make your "patient" extra vulnerable to the others, for one thing, if she is being restrained or held, while they are around.

I ALWAYS take my patient inside, to the bathroom. I like it when we can hardly even hear the other birds. We don't have a garage, otherwise I'd use that. I shut the door, and if necessary wrap her in a towel. Then I proceed with whatever I need to do. Having it quiet and gentle means the injury can be treated and we can recover from the treatment for a few minutes, in peace.

That said, I TOTALLY understand getting trampled to death when visiting the coop and having your flesh torn from your fingers! These treat-obsessed birds are INSANE. I've had mine for a year. A couple of times one of them has literally flown across the yard straight at me, making me duck for cover!