my hen is being aggressive to me

[skazzy]

all of a sudden my hen keeps on being so aggressive to me and i’m just minding my own business she keeps pecking on my toes everytime i wear slides and trying to pick a fight with me what’s the reason?

 

[JaeG]

We have a young pullet who is laying now, but there are times when she acts like a little rooster and terrorizes our son, and she's had a good go at me the other day, biting my finger and drawing blood, wanting to fight me. We have been trying to give her a good peck on the head with a finger or walking through her so that she has to move (giving her a good nudge if we have to) and continuing until she's moving away from us. I've recently been putting a cockerel in with them at night (I can't trust him around the kids during the day when they free range) and she's actually been better since then. So I do think it's hormones.

 

[nuthatched]

Are you sure it's a hen?
Don't let her do it, smack her, Peck her with your hand. Worst comes to worst, give her away or send her to freezer camp

 

[Dottie the Chicken]

Are you sure she isn't just being curious? What makes you think it's pure aggression?

 

[3KillerBs]

I've had my toes pecked when I was wearing flip-flops.

A chicken doesn't identify toes as part of a human being. They look potentially edible so they peck them to see if they're food or not.

 

[MissE]

I've had my toes pecked when I was wearing flip-flops.

A chicken doesn't identify toes as part of a human being. They look potentially edible so they peck them to see if they're food or not.

I like wearing flip flops in the summer when I'm taking care of the chickens because it's easy to hose off any chicken poo I step in, but I have to be careful because they dive bomb my toes thinking they might be a tasty treat. They do the same thing to the red laces on my hiking boots. They also try to peck any snow on my muck boots. I think chickens just like feet. I don't see it as aggressive act, but more of a curious one.

That said, I did have BSL that was being a little butt just before she started laying. She would fluff up, do the "oh no you didn't " head bob thing, and run at me. She did it one day while I was filling their water. I dumped 2+ gallons on water on her. Problem solved. She still does whatever she can to get up to my eye level when I'm in the coop or run, but does not try to attack.

 

[skazzy]

Are you sure it's a hen?
Don't let her do it, smack her, Peck her with your hand. Worst comes to worst, give her away or send her to freezer camp

yeah she’s definitely a hen shes a young pullets who started laying couple months ago

 

[skazzy]

Are you sure she isn't just being curious? What makes you think it's pure aggression?

she’s definitely not being curious she has peck my toes and i see her being curious about it all of a sudden she’s aggressively pecking my toes and jumping on me

 

[aart]

she’s definitely not being curious she has peck my toes and i see her being curious about it all of a sudden she’s aggressively pecking my toes and jumping on me

PECK HER BACK!

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.

 

[Aapomp831]

PECK HER BACK!

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.

x2. You have to be the dominant hen - learn to speak and communicate chicken. She’s treating you the way she would a submissive hen so you need to simply not stand for it. Don’t back up or run away; that simply reinforces she’s dominant over you. Reach down, peck her back with your fingers and walk around her with confidence and not fear.