What do I with a very cranky chicken?

We’ve got a problem at Camp Cluck and I’m not sure what to do about it.

Mrs. Beasley, the Wyandotte, has become increasingly aggressive towards me, and this week she pecked David so hard she drew blood.

It’s not unusual for the girls to come running when I go into the run, or for them to peck at my shoes or my legs. But it’s is a gentle peck; I read it as a hello and a request for food.

But Mrs. Beasley has several times actually jumped up to peck me, and she’s been pecking my calves and the backs of my legs really hard. She leaves small bruises.

I don’t know if she’s mad that I’m taking eggs from the nesting box or what. I’ve tried talking to her, petting her, feeding her from my hands, all the same things I did when Aunt  Bea was a little cranky. But to no avail.

So the question becomes What do I do with her?

Can you train away bad behavior in a chicken, the way you would with a puppy? Do I send her to a new home?

Anyone have any experience with cranky chickens?

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