Hen Attacking Me Daily

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

When she felt other hens were being favored

Yeah... Bad behaviour is sometimes a call for proof of love...

Husbands are all "tough love" advocates until there is one little feather duster that grabs his heart

Mine was all "and we can raise them for food" until he got a duckling in his arms... Then he was all mush and spoiled them terribly!

 

[Stellasmomma]

I swear I laughed so hard I choked on my coffee.

Thank you for the mental image.

This is what I do and it works!!! I fiqured that's what they do to each other so use their language I also laughed way to much at that!!!

 

[bjdewell]

For cryin' out loud.....PECK HER BACK!!
That's what chickens understand.

Might not work after allowing ths behavior for so long, but.....
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.

That's what I did last year with Coco, my friendliest hen, and it worked. Although she was the friendliest, followed me around, etc., she is the only one who pecked at my legs. The “pecking her back,“ and making her submit and holding her down by her back for a few minutes seemed to work. Then things turned. In the summer all four hens got mites from the little sparrows around, I did the Rx for that, and covered their run with bird netting and treated their area. They free-range all day and are in their run to get to their food, and in the coop to sleep. Then Coco and another hen fell ill, got very anemic looking, and all four started a heavy molt as the days got shorter and colder. Most egg laying stopped, and they kept their distance from me. They just turned one year old, molting is done, the four hens are friendly again, days are getting longer and warmer, and now Coco is pecking me again. I can see from these responses what I'm doing wrong. I peck her, hold her down, then lift her to snuggle and talk, and she just coos at me. That's the thing I'm doing wrong. I'll stop picking her up and will ignore her. I've also lifted her a little with my foot and “moved” her a short distance through the air (probably a foot or so) when she won't stop. She doesn't like that.

 

[bjdewell]

Do these pictures work? I had to put her on a board in the snow so she would stay put for me lol

She is really beautiful!

 

[Annabellaa]

....and she is awfully pretty too

You mentioned she isn't laying yet ... (Fingers crossed) maybe her hormones are off and it will settle once she starts laying

their personalities change as they grow and develop

My old girls are not the same as when they were younger (me too !)

She isn’t laying yet, but I did find this in the coop today is this something you’ve happened to see before? I already collected the eggs from my hens that are laying this morning I just noticed this on the coop floor about 20 minutes ago could this possibly be hers? It could match her or one other hen. No pieces of egg or shell anywhere else and it wasn’t in a nesting box. I know it’s a strange turn of conversation but I figured since people are still replying to this thread it may be a quick way to find out lol. First photo is of it wet and a few minutes later it dried out

 

[Annabellaa]

She is really beautiful!

She is! She went through quite an awkward stage tho lol.

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

Ok, so no panic, I have seen lots of funky things and that is no worse. Early eggs can be all sorts of off and odd.

Is that the color of her breed's eggs? (When she does lay is this what they will look like?)

You could give her an internal exam... You wash your hand super well, find something as a lubricant and then slowly insert. It is a lot like a pap test (assuming you have had the experience) You are just looking to see pieces of shell or when you pull out, any yolk on your hand.

Note that this SOUNDS well worst than it is. I didn't think I could, then when I had one suffering I gathered my courage and did it. It was not so bad, kind of like the skin inside your mouth.


*****Alternative******
Check out her rear, you are looking for blood or yolk.

Do any of your hens have a dirty beak? Or tiny flecks of dried yellow in their feathers? If she (or anyone) dropped a shell less egg, they would likely have seen it and eaten it. If the egg broke inside her, that can be problematic for infection.

 

[KGandE]

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?

I had a lovely hen who used to love to peck/bit my husband and me. She was super sweet and friendly, but her pecks/bites did hurt and could draw blood. It seemed to me that it was her way of saying hello and showing affection - she loved cuddles and was very playful always - I think it was just part of her personality. I know that's probably not super helpful, but maybe wearing gloves and sunglasses is your best bet...good luck.

 

[MsSueT]

She isn’t laying yet, but I did find this in the coop today is this something you’ve happened to see before? I already collected the eggs from my hens that are laying this morning I just noticed this on the coop floor about 20 minutes ago could this possibly be hers? It could match her or one other hen. No pieces of egg or shell anywhere else and it wasn’t in a nesting box. I know it’s a strange turn of conversation but I figured since people are still replying to this thread it may be a quick way to find out lol. First photo is of it wet and a few minutes later it dried out

A hen's first few eggs are often shell-less, in my experience. It's all about hormones not quite in synch yet. Personally, I also think hormones might be at least part of the cause of her pecking you. She's a teenager, after all. I would keep her until you are sure she is laying (real eggs with shells) and see if her behavior changes.

 

[ChicFil- A]

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?

That behavior is unacceptable the first time she brought blood gone!
I have heard that separation works well, put her whe can see you and the other flock