Is she being freakishly friendly or trying to bully me?

[RanchEverAwesome]

My all-black, feather-footed French Moran hen ("Joan Jett") likes to hang out about a foot away from my feet, directly in front of me when I am in the coop or out in the yard when she is foraging. She just stands there directly in front of me, staring straight at me in the face, like an old west gunslinger waiting for me to make a move. Then she will, without any provocation, make a kind of "lunging" move toward my feet and shins.
She doesn't fluff up or make any other easily understood aggressive behaviors or sounds. And she has never actually pecked me. While she does let me touch her, and she has never actually pecked me, this posturing feels menacing.

Did I mention she is a BIG GIRL? Easily the largest bird in the flock, and she is the only hen that postures toward me this way.

I should also mention she is young. She and her three flock-mates just started laying about a month and 1/2 ago. She is also second to the bottom in the flock pecking order. (probably because she is one of this year's new additions/younger flock).

I truly can't tell by her behavior if she is just socially awkward and overly friendly or if she is a total sociopath. .
Help!

ps. I should also share...she is the only chicken in our flock that is all black (like ALL black, including her feet, beak, and comb) and she is the only bird we have that has a strange marking in her eyes (a dark line that runs verticle through the center) which makes her look very goat-like. Her looks alone are a bit freakish already and have gotten into my head.

 

[artbykarenehaley]

My all-black, feather-footed French Moran hen ("Joan Jett") likes to hang out about a foot away from my feet, directly in front of me when I am in the coop or out in the yard when she is foraging. She just stands there directly in front of me, staring straight at me in the face, like an old west gunslinger waiting for me to make a move. Then she will, without any provocation, make a kind of "lunging" move toward my feet and shins.
She doesn't fluff up or make any other easily understood aggressive behaviors or sounds. And she has never actually pecked me. While she has let me touch her, and she has never actually pecked me, the posturing feels menacing.

Did I mention she is a BIG GIRL? Easily the largest bird in the flock, and she is the only hen that postures toward me this way.

I should also share...she is the only chicken in our flock that is all black (like ALL black, including her feet, beak, and comb) and she is the only bird we have that has a strange marking in her eyes (a dark line that runs verticle through the center) which makes her look very goat-like. Her looks alone are a bit freakish already and have gotten into my head.

I should also mention she is young. She and her three flock-mates just started laying about a month and 1/2 ago. She is also second to the bottom in the flock pecking order. (probably because she is one of this year's new additions/younger flock).

I truly can't tell by her behavior if she is just socially awkward and overly friendly or if she is a total sociopath. .
Help!

She's probably trying to put herself above you on the pecking order. When she gets closer toaying age she should start to cool it. But that definitely sounds like aggressive behavior even if it's not pecking order related.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

It does sound like dominance to me. Personally, I'd discourage her from doing it. Shoo her away, if necessary use a broom.

LofMc

 

[RanchEverAwesome]

She's probably trying to put herself above you on the pecking order. When she gets closer toaying age she should start to cool it. But that definitely sounds like aggressive behavior even if it's not pecking order related.

Thank you!

 

[RanchEverAwesome]

It does sound like dominance to me. Personally, I'd discourage her from doing it. Shoo her away, if necessary use a broom.

LofMc

Thank you!

 

[artbykarenehaley]

Would like to add she's not a psychopath but she's testing boundaries like a teenager haha

 

[ValarieF]

My all-black, feather-footed French Moran hen ("Joan Jett") likes to hang out about a foot away from my feet, directly in front of me when I am in the coop or out in the yard when she is foraging. She just stands there directly in front of me, staring straight at me in the face, like an old west gunslinger waiting for me to make a move. Then she will, without any provocation, make a kind of "lunging" move toward my feet and shins.
She doesn't fluff up or make any other easily understood aggressive behaviors or sounds. And she has never actually pecked me. While she does let me touch her, and she has never actually pecked me, this posturing feels menacing.

Did I mention she is a BIG GIRL? Easily the largest bird in the flock, and she is the only hen that postures toward me this way.

I should also mention she is young. She and her three flock-mates just started laying about a month and 1/2 ago. She is also second to the bottom in the flock pecking order. (probably because she is one of this year's new additions/younger flock).

I truly can't tell by her behavior if she is just socially awkward and overly friendly or if she is a total sociopath. .
Help!

ps. I should also share...she is the only chicken in our flock that is all black (like ALL black, including her feet, beak, and comb) and she is the only bird we have that has a strange marking in her eyes (a dark line that runs verticle through the center) which makes her look very goat-like. Her looks alone are a bit freakish already and have gotten into my head.

its satan RUN!!!! LOL JK idk my black one scares me too!

 

[drdoct]

I have one that crowds me. But it's because she's figured out that I'm the person who brings the bucket of good food scraps to the compost pile.

 

[3KillerBs]

It does sound like dominance to me. Personally, I'd discourage her from doing it. Shoo her away, if necessary use a broom.

LofMc

Rather than using a broom or other object that might be frighteningly aggressive, I suggest treating her the way I treat my cockerels. That is, walk through her. Not in a challenging way, but simply as a force of nature -- the way a cow or a horse would walk where it intends to walk and not divert for a little ball of feathers.

You should see me doing my chicken chores. I'm wading through the flock saying "Pardon me. Excuse me. Pardon me. Excuse me," like a line from an old comedy movie as I go from point A to point B without ever diverting to walk around a chicken.

Now and then I have to push one with my boot, but I never act as if I'm challenging them.

When I have cockerels I often unnecessarily rearrange coop and run furniture so that I have an excuse to do this that isn't directly challenging them. For example, I pick up a bucket, carry it in a straight line through the place that the cockerel is standing, then set it down. Pick up a lawn chair, carry it in a straight line through the place that the other cockerel is standing, and put it down. And so on.

But never as a direct challenge, always just doing what I'm doing and going through that space because I'm The Giant Who Brings Food and not part of the flock at all.

I have one that crowds me. But it's because she's figured out that I'm the person who brings the bucket of good food scraps to the compost pile.

I have lost count of the times I've stepped on the Cochin's foot feathers because she's right there hoping I'll drop something she can grab before the others get to it.

 

[3KillerBs]

P.S. I tend to talk to them constantly when I'm out there and I always say "Excuse me" as a matter of habit simply because I've often worked in retail and needed to move through crowds.

I have been known to say "Excuse me" to a pair of shoes by the door.

In any case, it teaches them that those words mean that I'm coming through and they ought to move.