Vicious Chickens

[DaisyDo39]

My chicken named Daisy is very sweet, but a few months earlier we found some traces of rats in her coop. We put some traps around her cage (not in it) and caught lots of rats. The smell in her cage is very strong and bad. I feel like the rats population is rising in her coop. She is also pecking at her eggs and breaking them while she is still sitting. Yesterday my elderly mother came to my house. About to take a shower, I asked her let Daisy out of her cage. In the shower, my mother came running into the house yelling. I jumped out and went to see what was going on, and saw that my mother had bit marks all over her. She said Daisy attacked her. All she did was open up her cage. This morning went to let her out. Right when I opened up her cage, she ran out and started to bite my feet and legs. I ran into the house, and saw her stroll right back into her cage. I am afraid a rat might of bit her, or she ate rat feces. She is also puffing out her feathers and walking around. Any help?

 

[TwoCrows]

You need to get these rats under control. And not with traps but close off all holes and areas they are getting in. Yes, they can bite chickens, they carry tons of disease and can kill your Daisy. Why is she in a cage....because of the rats?? Do you have any other chickens? She really needs the companionship of other birds as well.

Get the coop cleaned up and seal up all holes and cracks. She should not be eating rat droppings. If she starts to show signs of illness you may need to start her on some antibiotics. Keep checking her for bugs as rats carry all kinds of tiny livestock that will get on Daisy.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

So, you say she was sitting on some eggs, pecking at them, puffing and biting. To me, it sounds as though she's brooding. Hens can get pretty nasty when they're sitting on eggs.
Is this bird in your house? And yes, do you have other chickens? TwoCrows is absolutely right, chickens are social animals, they need other chickens for companionship, not just people. Is the smell coming from her cage chicken poop smell or rat smell?

We could be of more help if we had a better idea of what your set up was really like, how many chickens you own and how you're managing them.

You do need to get the rats under control. Not only is there a concern with disease (to you and your pets), but they are very destructive creatures, chewing and defecating on/all over everything. And they breed like crazy.