Please help, once lovely pullet being aggressi

[LaFleche]

Hello all.
What was once my friendliest and sweetest pullet has become aggressive, with me only. I have 2 chickens (I know minimum 3 is optimal but I recently lost one, and anyway this was happening before my third died). Of the two she is is the less dominant, bottom of the pecking order. She will attack my wrist - I actuallly posted about this a while back when she first started, wondering if my FitBit was making noises she could hear and I couldn’t, because it started with her going for that, but now she seems to have taken a dislike just to my wrist, and today she drew blood. I pinned her down to the floor with both hands, gently but so she couldn’t get out of it, for probably 20/30 seconds, she didn’t like it and stopped after that, then half an hour later when I went to take them some treats () she went to do it again but I saw her stop and think and then decide against it.
Can anyone give me an idea of why she might be doing this? Some days she even does the aggressive running jump thing. I wonder if she is trying to find her place in a pecking order she thinks I am part of- though she acts SO submissively with the top chicken. What is the best way of dealing with a pullet who does this? I’ve read that ‘pecking’ them back with thumb and fore finger works but I’ve stopped doing this as my fingers are obviously fatter than a beak and I just felt like I was hitting her I don’t have long fingernails. I don’t like pinning her either but that has more success. If I remember to take my watch off when I go into her space that helps a bit, but now she does just go for my wrist regardless, and I don’t want to take my watch off every day because I’ll eventually lose it!
Advice really gratefully received!

Is she just overeagerly trying to get at the treats you bring or does she actually dislike you and tries to dominate you in other situations as well?

 

[Lazygaze]

Is she just overeagerly trying to get at the treats you bring or does she actually dislike you and tries to dominate you in other situations as well?

100% not overeager. She is absolutely definitely attacking my watch and the skin around it in an aggressive way.
it’s weird because a lot of the time she will quite happily let me pick her up, stroke her, and if I sit in their space she will come and sit on my lap! It’s sooo weird.

 

[LaFleche]

What is a fitbit? You must excuse me, I'm old and a stranger and as such not familiar with these kind of things.

Edit: I did a google search and this device will show your heartbeat by a pulsating heart and it will show the time of day digitally, the seconds and minutes moving and changing all the time.

So, I imagine that to a chicken this might appear as bugs moving and crawling on your arm, enticing them to peck.

 

[LaFleche]

fitbit

 

[Lazygaze]

Hehe don’t worry I know the feeling this is it, as you can see it’s very boring and unless I turn it on the screen stays black and also the backlight is broken so it’s very hard to see anything on it anyway. Maybe the black shiny screen reflects the light… I did wonder if it emitted a high pitched noise I couldn’t her but she could.. I started taking it off before I went in to see them but unfortunately now anyway she has graduated onto just pecking my skin anyway

Also- it’s not hungry or inquisitive pecking, it’s aggressive.

 

[aart]

How long time-outs do you do?

I would keep her in there the entire time you are visiting, do not let her participate.
Could be she needs to be kept crated for most the day.
See how the rest of the flock behaves when she's not around.
Might be good just to get rid of this bird, she's trouble for everyone.

 

[LaFleche]

I started taking it off before I went in to see them but unfortunately now anyway she has graduated onto just pecking my skin anyway

So she definitelyseems to be in dire need of some education, meaning she has to learn to show some respect to you.

Also- it’s not hungry or inquisitive pecking, it’s aggressive.

Don't handfeed her anymore, walk right through her if she blocks your way and peck her hard enough on her back or back of her head with your fingers, maybe even chase her a bit (take some firm quick steps in her direction to make her give way and leave the scene).
Other than that just ignore her until she is well behaved. or find her a new home like @aart suggested.

It just is not worth it to have her spoiling the fun of chicken keeping for you.

 

[LaFleche]

Like I said it’s not every single time I’m near her, sometimes she comes and happily sits in my lap of her own accord. It’s like there is a tiny glitch in her tiny brain.

Some kind of Ms Jekill and Hyde I suppose.

 

[Lazygaze]

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.

Hi @aart , thanks for your reply. Pecking hasn’t worked and holding down worked a bit but today she got even worse. It’s making me really sad, I don’t know what else to try! Someone suggested dunking her head in the water dish I really don’t want to do this but she drew blood on my arm again just now.

 

[Lazygaze]

What colour and shape is your watch? Any bling on it?

No, it’s a very boring muted Fitbit.. looking back in my posts I actually posted about this same issue in April!! That shows you how long this has been going on for