Need help with aggressive...PULLET!

[Trish1974]

I have a 3 1/2 month old Araucana pullet that is extemely aggressive with me. (Yes, she is definitely a pullet). She has been aggressive since hatch. At just a few days old she would attack my hand when I would change the food or water in the brooder, and charge at me just simply walking by. There seemed to be a lull in her attitude after I put them outside at 4 weeks old until about a month ago. She is in with 4 other pullets and everyone gets along fine. If I feed them something like grass or cherry tomatoes from the outside of the run, instead of taking the food from me like the others do, she will peck and bite my hand and fingers. When I am inside the run, she seems to be okay until I squat down to inspect or pet another pullet. Again, she will come up and start biting and attacking my arm or hands. I push her back, she comes at me twice as hard. I have "pecked" her on the head with my fingers...she will back off a few seconds then come back and start biting me again. Last night she got even more aggressive. When she bit my arm, I pushed her back really hard, and when she came back at me she came at me like a mean rooster. She was flapping her wings and jumping up at me attacking me with her feet. I picked her up at held her until she calmed down. After I put her down, she was fine for maybe a minute or two, and then would come at me again. I repeated the hold three more times with the same end result.

I have never, ever had a mean chick, not even a cockerel. Neither of her parents or grandparents were aggressive, nor are any of her full siblings. I lost her mom suddenly last month, and she was my only BBR hen. This pullet is only one of three pullets I hatched from the BBR before she died, so I really need her genes and must keep her. I am at a loss on how to handle her. She has drawn blood on me twice. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[black_cat]

Oh goodness! Hopefully someone will be able to help. I can't help much because I am very inexperienced, but I hope everything turns out ok.

 

[sourland]

Pushing/swatting all seem to feed the instinct to fight back. When she comes at you, firmly force her to the ground and hold her there with two hands. When you release her (after she stops struggling) she may come at you again. Repeat the process. It may take a while since she feels dominant, but I believe her behavior can be corrected.

 

[Trish1974]

Pushing/swatting all seem to feed the instinct to fight back. When she comes at you, firmly force her to the ground and hold her there with two hands. When you release her (after she stops struggling) she may come at you again. Repeat the process. It may take a while since she feels dominant, but I believe her behavior can be corrected.

Thank you! I will try that this afternoon.

 

[BGcoop]

Yikes! You say you need her genes... are you sure you want them if she’s that unhinged?

 

[Trish1974]

Yikes! You say you need her genes... are you sure you want them if she’s that unhinged?

Well like I said, her parents, grandparents and full siblings are not aggressive at all, so I don't feel as if it is genetic.

 

[sourland]

Thank you! I will try that this afternoon.

One hand firmly on her back, and one to immobilize her head. If she insists on biting/pecking at you, you may want to wear gloves.

 

[BGcoop]

Well like I said, her parents, grandparents and full siblings are not aggressive at all, so I don't feel as if it is genetic.

There is always the possibility of a new mutation, or just an off combination of genes that can suddenly display an undesirable trait. I hope you can fix her behavior (sorry I don’t have advice on how). Just remember to watch her future generations for problems then. Good luck!

 

[aart]

Yep, 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.

 

[NatJ]

a few finger pecks and/or tug on the feathers on the back of their neck.

Chickens certainly do that! The bossy one grabs a few feathers on the back of the neck and holds on tight, while the other squawks and flaps and eventually pulls loose and runs off.

I need to keep that one in mind myself. I see it happen, but then I forget about it when it might be useful to me.