Why did my hen attack me? I’m bleeding

[Leatherworker]

My hen attacked me and I caught it on camera. She’s only a few weeks away from being sexually mature and she’s growing increasingly aggressive towards me and her flock family. I was struggling to get them back in the coop after a long day in the run, and she randomly charged at me and cut my face with her feet. I’m completely stunned can anyone help me understand why she did this to me? I’m assuming she was mad because she wasn’t ready to go in the coop for the night? Either way, now I have a hole in my face, her nails punctured my skin badly

Wow, that's incredible. I have never seen anything like this from any I have had. I would keep a sharp eye on her and check her out physically. Perhaps something is wrong with her and she's in pain, or with her eyes. If you can't find the problem I would certainly decide how to remove her.

 

[Falona Hen]

Is it possible she’s at a hormonal age and will grow out of it?

I never seen a hen that aggressive. Even roosters that age. Could be hormone imbalance so idk. If you want to wait and see I'd recommend keeping her in the coop and away from the others for bit to see if she will calm down

 

[kaylacampbell30]

Wow, that's incredible. I have never seen anything like this from any I have had. I would keep a sharp eye on her and check her out physically. Perhaps something is wrong with her and she's in pain, or with her eyes. If you can't find the problem I would certainly decide how to remove her.

Thank you for this advice! I’ll have to figure out a plan for her. I love her, but I don’t want this to happen again.

 

[kaylacampbell30]

I never seen a hen that aggressive. Even roosters that age. Could be hormone imbalance so idk. If you want to wait and see I'd recommend keeping her in the coop and away from the others for bit to see if she will calm down

Thank you SO much! I will do!

 

[-Chanticleer-]

Sometimes it's hard to figure out why chickens do things but I would consider that behavior completely unacceptable and cull that bird immediately. Don't wait till she takes out an eye or harms one of your other birds.

In the pot.

 

[DLA]

Is it possible she’s at a hormonal age and will grow out of it?

It could possibly be hormones. In the mean time unless you are going to keep her contained so everyone is safe, there's still no guarantee that behavior will change. One time where you or someone else isn't paying attention could have very bad consequences. I would never trust that chicken. Safety first.

 

[kaylacampbell30]

It could possibly be hormones. In the mean time unless you are going to keep her contained so everyone is safe, there's still no guarantee that behavior will change. One time where you or someone else isn't paying attention could have very bad consequences. I would never trust that chicken. Safety first.

This is my first flock and I had no idea chickens could be this dangerous. It’s kind of discouraging for me. I didn’t expect it to be this hard.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

This is my first flock and I had no idea chickens could be this dangerous. It’s kind of discouraging for me. I didn’t expect it to be this hard.

Typically hens are not this dangerous. Heck, I've only had a couple roosters this bold and I've raised dozens and dozens of those

 

[Leatherworker]

This is my first flock and I had no idea chickens could be this dangerous. It’s kind of discouraging for me. I didn’t expect it to be this hard.

Hope you don't get discouraged. This is very unusual behavior. If she really scares you and you walk around feeling intimated, removing her in whatever way you feel best, give her away or cull, whatever works best for you. You can't walk around them and feel like that. They are a joy to have, which is hard to feel if your afraid.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I'm sorry this happened to you. I think it's pretty unusual to see this kind of behavior in a hen, it's certainly more common to see it in cockerels or roosters. But IMO, trying to figure out why it happened is kind of a waste of time and effort. Were you wearing the wrong color? Did you move funny? Was it the weather or the way the stars were aligned? The bottom line is, it happened and there's a good chance it will happen again. This bird cannot be trusted and you know now she can hurt you. Don't give her an opportunity to do it again, to you or anyone else. She'll make delicious soup, and you can go back to enjoying the rest of your flock.