Suddenly Aggressive Speckled Sussex Hen

[ARMonaco9]

Hi All,
I have a Speckled Sussex hen named Mame that has suddenly started acting aggressive toward me. She has always been my favorite hen. She's much bigger than the other hens and is obviously the dominant. I also have two roosters, but they are younger than her and one is a bantam.
She recently has started pecking my legs, hands, and feet. At first I thought it was because she thought I had food, but now she follows me into the coop when I collect eggs. I have tried to scare her away to no avail.
I am very upset by this because she used to be so friendly. She recently attacked one of our family friends as well, pecking her legs and hands.
I would like to try to reverse this behavior if possible. Is there any way to stop aggression or does anyone have any idea what might have caused her sudden change?

Thank you!
Audrey

 

[terryg]

I'm familiar with Sussex, and the ones that I've had have been bold, curious and active. Do you feed treats? If so, don't hand any out when she is near you. Only when she backs off should she get anything. Always toss the treats away from you when you feed. My hens know to step back and look at me. They never get anything when they crowd. I also don't feed out of my hand as I take hens into schools. I don't want them to ever think that pecking at a person gives them food. That said, I do feed treats - but on my terms.
What age is she? Are you sure she's not a he? Also, a hen has only one working ovary. If it becomes damaged, she takes on male characteristics. Is she still laying?

 

[hangartnerchix]

It sounds like she is trying to show you she is above you in the pecking order. You could try to establish yourself over her. Not sure how to do that, as obviously you can't peck her back. Maybe tap her beak with your fingers when she pecks you?

 

[terryg]

In over 16 years of keeping a flock of all hens, I've never had a hen go after me or any other person in an aggressive "show them who's boss" sort of way. I have had hens peck out of greed. Just today I had a hen jump up and grab a piece of bread out of my hand - that I was eating - it wasn't meant for her! I should know better than to be eating when letting the girls out of their pen I do believe that issues like ARMonaco describe can be easily resolved by thinking through how you relate to and feed your hens, and there never has to be a dominance display by the person used in response to the hen. That said, the hens will recognize confident body language by you. But, that's true of any animal under your care. Calm, kind and confident makes for a very peaceful barnyard.

 

[2greenboyz]

Thought I'd offer my experiences here - I've had a few now who pecked my legs and feet, followed me around insisting on attention. What they wanted was to do the squat. They think I'm the roo, so they will peck at my legs -sometimes actually nipping me. So I put my hand on their back and pet them so the tail goes up. Then they shake off and walk away all contented. But sometimes before they can get away I grab them pick them up and give them hugs, more pets, and set them down. Maybe I'm spoiling them and encouraging that kind of behavior, probably so, but what's the use of having them if you can't give them some love lol. So it may be, absent a rooster, you are the stand - in.

 

[donrae]

I'd be interested in seeing a pic of this bird.

 

[TannerTrue]

I have a similar problem with one of my Speckled Sussex hens. I've tried to do as terryg suggests, be calm and confident. However, I'm losing patience with her. She doesn't squat like the other hens when I'm near her. Not a rooster, but I do wonder if she's laying eggs. I had six hens (lost one recently) and consistently got 5 eggs. I can deal with her pecking my boot, but today she pecked my hand.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! I have SS hens and love their bold curious personalities, but they must be managed. Nobody pecks me, jumps at or on me, or gets to this stage of rudeness with people.
Redo your relationship with her, and maybe your whole flock; you are the giant who brings food, not a flock mate!
Some of beekissed's recommendations for managing roosters will be helpful here too.
Carry your bucket, or a stick, or something, and move her out of your space every time she gets close. Be direct about it; you aren't hitting her, just firmly pushing her away.
Don't hand feed!
Wear jeans and shoes or boots, not sandals and shorts.
Post photos of these birds too.
I gave up on keeping SS roosters, because many of them (hatchery) were human aggressive. The hens have all been very nice, but interactive.
Mary

 

[TannerTrue]

Thank you so much, Folly's Place!! Your recommendations make good sense, especially since she's not aggressive every time I interact with the flock. And she's definitely not mean. I'm going to work on this.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Nothing controls aggression better than aggression. I thought that we learned that back during WWII. Inline with this observation here is the only sure way to control aggressive behavior.