Hen Attacking Me Daily

[Annabellaa]

I purchased a variety of day-old pullets almost 4 months ago. All except 3 are laying. One of those non-laying hens (Penguin is her name) in her teen years has decided that she hates my skin, specifically my fingers and hands and occasionally my eyeballs. when I am doing anything around the coop as soon as she spies my exposed hands and fingers she absolutely rips them apart. she will peck and pull at my skin and draws blood often, if I can move my hand before she gets it she will run after it and try to jump and get me or wait for me to continue my task to attack. they are very deliberate pecks, not accidental I have no food in my hand. she used to perch on my shoulder and still occasionally perches on my arm, is always around me like my other hens, and seems to look for my presence and enjoy it. the second I have exposed skin, she loses her mind. any skin including ankles although hands are her worst. Her breed is called 'norian' she is a crossbreed with a maran and another breed I cannot remember. she is fine with my other hens although she is the largest of them all by a few pounds. From what I have seen she gets bossed around by almost all of my other hens, even the ones half her size so I think she is close to the bottom of the pecking order. I can't figure out why she is doing this and I haven't been able to stop it. she is a sweet hen so long as I am covered aside from occasional pecks at things stuck to my clothes she does not attempt to attack in any other circumstance. Why is she doing this? Can I stop it? I've tried many remedies none of them work. Is she just a prude enforcing her modesty agenda?

 

[SilverBirds]

Are you sure "she" isn't a he? Can you post pictures?

 

[Annabellaa]

To note : I am very pale and assumed maybe my fingers look like worms? but it is even my wrists, back of hands, ankles that she draws blood from. She has stopped perching on my shoulder due to getting a beak directly in the eye one too many times

 

[Annabellaa]

Are you sure "she" isn't a he? Can you post pictures?

I don’t think so. The place I got her from it says “available as females only” on the website. I have few pictures due to her hate towards my hands. Anytime I pull my phone out it’s go time

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

Wow, my first thought is also that she may be a rooster, but regardless, this needs to stop now.

Do you have any peck-no-more on hand ? (Pun not intended)

If you can't get that, you need to go in there with some nasty mustard on your hand.

 

[Annabellaa]

Wow, my first thought is also that she may be a rooster, but regardless, this needs to stop now.

Do you have any peck-no-more on hand ? (Pun not intended)

If you can't get that, you need to go in there with some nasty mustard on your hand

Wow, my first thought is also that she may be a rooster, but regardless, this needs to stop now.

Do you have any peck-no-more on hand ? (Pun not intended)

If you can't get that, you need to go in there with some nasty mustard on your hand.

If she was a rooster it would make so much sense. But the website says they are available as females only. I guess it’s still possible? I have never heard of peck no more! I will see if it is something I can order. Should I put mustard the condiment or the powder on my hand ?

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

Oh, and be careful, dry mustard (the powder in little tins your grandmother used on baked ham) will burn skin, but regular sandwich mustard won't and chickens (normally) don't like mustard.

If she doesn't mind mustard, try a paste of some other spices. Something is n your spice rack tastes bad to her, she needs to think that is how you taste.

 

[SourRoses]

Why are you not defending yourself?

- Never again allow her to perch on you.
It's a good idea to not let any chickens on your shoulders / near your face. But if you simply must do it, only do it with well-behaved chickens.
She doesn't respect you. She isn't going to wake up one morning and decide she's done biting you. She needs to be firmly set down in the social ranking between you two and that can't happen while she's using you as furniture (from her perspective).

- No more cover-ups.
Instead of trying to avoid your chickens wrath by changing all your habits, you need to face it and overcome it.
I'd go out there everyday with some skin showing. Bring along a large plastic rake to shoo (not hurt or terrify, just shoo) her away from your ankles. If she doesn't yield to the rake you can push her with the flat side and twist the handle so it turns side to side bumping her, that should be annoying enough to make her move. You don't have to be mean, just consistent. Sooner or later she will respect the rake, when she always keeps a respectful distance you can then work your way down with smaller objects, until you are just carrying a stick. After that you can use your finger and if she comes up close you can gently "peck" her on the back of her head.

- Don't give treats or let her see treats for many months until this terrible behavior is broken.

 

[BlueBaby]

That black one in the top row in the picture on the right look's like it has cockerel down turning tail feathers.

 

[Sussex19]

'If she was a rooster it would make so much sense. But the website says they are available as females only. I guess it’s still possible?'

It is possible that she is indeed a he, as with most breeds the only way for them to tell at a day old is by vent sexing, and that only has 90% accuracy most of the time.

Are these photos recent?
If not, can you get some more?