At the Kuegler mini-farm, we’ve had our flock of chickens for over two years, with egg production almost at the two-year mark.  So, we’ve become quite used to the daily routine of checking food and water supplies and gathering eggs.  The chickens are accustomed to our presence.  In fact, they rush the door to their pen when they hear footsteps, in hopes of receiving leftover pizza crust or apple cores.

With all of the human-chicken harmony, we were a little surprised recently when one of our girls changed from being a protective mother to being aggressive.  As noted last August, one of our Black Wyandottes has had a tendency to defend her eggs.  However, last year all you had to do was give her a gentle push, and she’d leave the coop.  This year, it is a whole different situation.

This chicken is almost always in the coop, sitting in one of the nesting boxes.  Only the dominant Silver Laced Wyandottes can get her to move out of the box; all of the other girls have to share the nesting box with her.  After my first encounter with this newly angry chicken, I understand why the other were willing to share.

When I opened the coop door, there was Ms. Black Wyandotte nesting in a box.  As I leaned my head in, she began to squawk.  After two years of having chickens, I am used to their noisiness, however, this was an all new squawk.  Not only did she issue a warning to me with her squawk, but she also fluffed up her feathers, ready to fight.

Being many times her size and used to the occasional freshness of my darling teens, I decided I was not letting a little chicken determine that I could not gather eggs.  So, I reached a hand toward her.  Unlike my teens, this chicken puts physicality behind her squawk, and thus, she lunged at my hand with an open beak.  Yikes!

With temperatures near 90, I didn’t want to leave eggs in the coop for long, so it was time for a new plan.  Using the egg collecting bowl as a shield with one hand, I covered her beak and quickly grabbed the eggs under her with the other hand.  She wasn’t happy about this situtation, but she also wasn’t harmed in the process, so egg gathering was a success.

Almost any time of day, if someone goes to collect eggs, she still is sitting in the box.  Whether she  has become increasingly maternal or an angry older chicken, we aren’t sure, but we do know that each day we’ll need to do battle to gather eggs.