my hen just attacked me from behind!

[lisam]

HI, one of my 3 hens just attacked me from behind! I had just collected their eggs, was well out from their enclosure, almost in the house, when from behind, I was attacked by very unexpected vicious claws, in the back of my foot! I turned around, looked directly at miss Roxy, stomped my foot, she ran away, and I came inside.
She is about 7/8 months old and doesnt look like a rooster. Is she just nasty? Cranky that I took eggs? Can chickens have hormonal problems? Bad days? Is there a way to stop it happening again? Or will we be having to find a new home for a special chicken ? Please help! Thanks!

 

[Macitypeeps]

We have 1 chicken that seems to be the alpha. She is a polish and we only have 7 hens. They are all 8 months. Whenever I go to the coop to give treats, change the water, gather the eggs Tessy is the first one at my feet. She bawk...bawk...bawks at me and pecks at my feet. She gets all fluffy and when I talk to her she jabbers right back. She has never broken skin but she is definately making her point of alpha hen.

Just from my reading here, sometimes if there are no roo's one of the ladies kind of takes the place of a roo. Well that is our Tessy. I can holder and always talk to her and hope she will soften. She is so funny......

 

[digitS']

I wouldn't worry too much about it - you had the right response.

My nearly middle-aged* son recently visited. He brought up his memory of an incident that obviously made quite an impression on him, when 1 of our Buff Orpington hens came off the nest and attacked him. He was a fifth grader at the time and I'd sent him out to collect eggs.

They do not like to see us messing with their nests - I can tell by the cocked head and the glint in their eyes when they see me reach inside. And yes, they can be cranky, cranky, cranky

.

One hen of my current hens has always had the greatest curiosity about me. I must be fascinating to her

. This infatuation has gone on since Olivia the Australorp was just a little ball of fluff. But, she HATES having me pick her up! She once bit me and held on as I carried her from one side of the yard to the other. Olivia has scratched me, I'm sure out of anger and enuf to draw blood, more than once when I've picked her up to put her in the coop.

You may well have already stopped Miss Roxy from behaving this way again. But, if she misbehaves in the future, grab her and push her down on the ground and hold her there. After she says "uncle" you can let her up

.

Welcome to BYC

!

Steve
*I was 7 when my son was born - yes, we were in elementary school together. Pre-school too . . .