Barred Rocks are mean little things

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I have 3 barred rock rooster about 10 weeks . Right now I have them with my hens and those little bugger pick on my hens. Sometimes I take a chair and sit with them they will jump on the chair and act like they want to be petted or pick up and when you do they bite and if I ignore them they will jump on the back of the chair and bite my ear. They are going because I can't keep roosters. My neighbor has some also and I ask how she like them she said the same thing they are ninnies
 
Agree with speckledhen's post. We need more info about your set up and the bird's behaviors.
 
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Yikes you guys are about as aggressive as they are!! My toddler goes nowhere near them. I was basing my post on my observations of them in thier own little element amongst themselves. They have a huge brooder, two feeding stations two water stations so plenty space and plenty food/water. There are 6 of them in there. Two BR 3 wyandottes and 1 CX. The other four are easy going cruising chicks. The BRs fight-when I say fight I mean fight. Fly up with thier legs in front attacking the other chicks, pecking relentlessly until the other chicks cry out, jump up and almost 'ride' the others who are sleeping and peck at thier necks and eyes. It's only the BRs that act like this. I got them because we DO have children and they ARE involved in thier feeding and I certainly don't want a breed known for being aggressive on the property. I did a lot of research before purchasing them and read nothing but great things so yes, I was honestly shocked at how they've been acting. Certainly not what someone would expect from a docile breed...unfortunately I live on an island and there are no reputable breeders here-except for fighting roosters. There are tons of those guys, That's huge here unfortunately. These chicks are from Meyer. And don't fret, we have two coops soon to be 3. One has my old ladies, and the other has my 'big girls' who are 4.5 weeks old. They did just fine today.
 
Mauka said:
Yikes you guys are about as aggressive as they are!! My toddler goes nowhere near them. I was basing my post on my observations of them in thier own little element amongst themselves. They have a huge brooder, two feeding stations two water stations so plenty space and plenty food/water. There are 6 of them in there. Two BR 3 wyandottes and 1 CX. The other four are easy going cruising chicks. The BRs fight-when I say fight I mean fight. Fly up with thier legs in front attacking the other chicks, pecking relentlessly until the other chicks cry out, jump up and almost 'ride' the others who are sleeping and peck at thier necks and eyes. It's only the BRs that act like this. I got them because we DO have children and they ARE involved in thier feeding and I certainly don't want a breed known for being aggressive on the property. I did a lot of research before purchasing them and read nothing but great things so yes, I was honestly shocked at how they've been acting. Certainly not what someone would expect from a docile breed...unfortunately I live on an island and there are no reputable breeders here-except for fighting roosters. There are tons of those guys, That's huge here unfortunately. These chicks are from Meyer. And don't fret, we have two coops soon to be 3. One has my old ladies, and the other has my 'big girls' who are 4.5 weeks old. They did just fine today.
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Where was anyone who responded "aggressive"?
 
Quote:
Everything you describe is normal behavior of active, healthy confident chicks. If you've only had something like Silkies, you may not be used to very dominant behavior in a chick group. Just because they peck at things like your ear does not mean they are aggressive! That is not aggression. Comparing normal pecking order behavior to aggression toward humans is apples and oranges.

They are active and curious, they are intelligent. Golly, you'd be screaming and running for the hills if you had Delaware chicks. They are the mouthiest chicks I've ever had-I bred them for awhile, but I'm down to an elderly pair now, the sweetest friendliest rooster you could ever imagine. However, as chicks, they bite and they bite hard. They explore everything with their beaks and I do mean everything. That is just the way they are. They are NOT aggressive. They are friendly birds, overly friendly. My Delaware hen will run up and butt your legs with her chest if she wants to be picked up and if you don't do it, she'll bite the fire out of you, grabbing your pants along with skin. She isn't aggressive, she's friendly to the point of being a nuisance.

No one here was aggressive in answering you, IMO. I was just wondering how anyone would be having aggression trouble from a 3 week old chick enough to dismiss an entire breed. It did not make sense to me. If Barred Rocks were aggressive toward humans as a breed, they would not be my favorite. My BR hens are friendly. My hatchery ones were wonderful. My hatchery BR rooster was friendly. My old line heritage BR hens are friendly. In their flock dynamic, two are pushy, two are middle of the road, but I would consider none of them aggressive toward humans. If one is aggressive to humans when the hormones kick in around breeding age and it isn't quashed by a few sessions of "aversion therapy", you cull that bird. You don't pass on aggressive genes. Simple as that. But, no chick of any breed can be judged for anything at less than a month old.

Just know that chickens do not react to small children the same way they react to adults. Kids are loud, have jerky sudden movements and are not much taller than a large fowl rooster. Roosters especially are nervous around small kids, generally. My super sweet, loves-to-swing-in-the-hammock-with-us Delaware rooster becomes visibly nervous when he hears kids screaming and playing in the neighborhood. It's normal. I would not allow a small kid in the pen with him simply because of that.
 
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Mauka said:
Yikes you guys are about as aggressive as they are!! My toddler goes nowhere near them. I was basing my post on my observations of them in thier own little element amongst themselves. They have a huge brooder, two feeding stations two water stations so plenty space and plenty food/water. There are 6 of them in there. Two BR 3 wyandottes and 1 CX. The other four are easy going cruising chicks. The BRs fight-when I say fight I mean fight. Fly up with thier legs in front attacking the other chicks, pecking relentlessly until the other chicks cry out, jump up and almost 'ride' the others who are sleeping and peck at thier necks and eyes. It's only the BRs that act like this. I got them because we DO have children and they ARE involved in thier feeding and I certainly don't want a breed known for being aggressive on the property. I did a lot of research before purchasing them and read nothing but great things so yes, I was honestly shocked at how they've been acting. Certainly not what someone would expect from a docile breed...unfortunately I live on an island and there are no reputable breeders here-except for fighting roosters. There are tons of those guys, That's huge here unfortunately. These chicks are from Meyer. And don't fret, we have two coops soon to be 3. One has my old ladies, and the other has my 'big girls' who are 4.5 weeks old. They did just fine today.
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It's good to know that the "bigger girls" are 4.5 weeks.
big_smile.png
Do you have pictures of your Barred Rocks? That sounds more like cockerel bahavior. Something else - I tried raising a Cornish X with some regular chicks and they ended up injuring it (pecked pretty badly). Keep an eye on that!
 
speckledhen said:
Just because they peck at things like your ear does not mean they are aggressive! That is not aggression. Comparing normal pecking order behavior to aggression toward humans is apples and oranges.[/B
Click to expand...



I never mentioned anything about them being aggressive towards me. I was basing my original post on my observations of them in thier own element, with the other chicks.
 
But you did relate their behavior in the group to behavior as a breed toward your children. Pecking order behavior is not the same as actual aggression. You were intermingling the two ideas each of your posts, which is what I was addressing.

Statements like this are what I was answering:

Quote:
 
I see what you're saying and I'm sorry I made it sound like one thing. Let me clarify once more: My toddler goes nowhere near them. I was basing my post on my observations of them in thier own little element amongst themselves. They have a huge brooder, two feeding stations two water stations so plenty space and plenty food/water. There are 6 of them in there. Two BR 3 wyandottes and 1 CX. The other four are easy going cruising chicks. The BRs fight-when I say fight I mean fight. Fly up with thier legs in front attacking the other chicks, pecking relentlessly until the other chicks cry out, jump up and almost 'ride' the others who are sleeping and peck at thier necks and eyes.
 

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