The Meanest, Nastiest, Fowlest (pun-intended) Chickens of All

[Diavolicchio]

I've decided to venture into the world of raising chickens at my orchard. This is a completely new venture for me and one I'm quite excited about.

I'm in the process of educating myself about the general personality traits and demeanor of the many breeds out there before officially choosing which varieties to get.

I'd like to get people's opinions about which overall variety is the meanest, nastiest of all, partly out of sheer curiosity, but also so I can make a point of avoiding it from the start.

By the way, I DO understand that a lot boils down to the individual chicken, and not the breed. Nevertheless, there must be some breeds with overall reputations for just being the worst little creatures.



So . . . which variety of chicken most needs anger management, an attitude adjustment, heavy doses of anti-depressants and electro-convulsive shock therapy?



John

 

[Overeasyplz]

Quote:
That is a HUGE leghorn!! I think the meanest bird I ever had was a Black Australorp. I gave him to a roosterless flock of RIR hens. If they ahve offspring they will be satan's spawn for sho!

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

&

from Michigan. I have to say my Rhode Island Red , Ruby is the meanest one I have. She is the only one that tries to peck me and for no reason.

 

[hensplease]

from california there is no breed that is just MEAN there is some breeds that are known to be stittish but any chicken can be nice if you handle it alot

 

[Diavolicchio]

Quote:
I didn't say "a breed that's just MEAN"; I said MEANEST. That means relative to other breeds.

This is a subjective call. There is no right answer.


John

 

[Chris09]

Diavolicchio:

I have to say it does depend on the individual bird and not the breed. I have to admit that a lot of productive birds that you get from hatcheries can get bossy and mean (like the Rhode Island Red) but if pick a hatchery deals with quality and not quantity (like some of the big named ones) you should be fine. The other thing that you can do is buy from a good breeder, most good breeder wont put up with a nasty/ mean bird.
I have Single and Rosecomb Rhode Island Red large fowl that I breed and show they are the most docile breed of chicken I have..

Chris

 

[silkydragon]

my meanest rooster is my little sebright meanest hen is my rir i thought she was a rooster at 1st cuz she attacked my dogs then she laide an egg then one nite i went to the coop for a head count and she was sitting in a nest screeching at me so i figured she was broody wrong again she got was off the nest all day the next day returned to it that night even though it was empty and she still screeches at me when she is just on the perch i try to handle all my birds frequently but she pecks and hard

 

[fiberart57]

I have a New Hampshire Red who, though she's not exactly mean, tolerates no argument from me or the other girls. I call her the Sergeant-at-Arms of the flock because she keeps law and order. I have no rooster and she's taken on the task of keeping the dog out of the run.

Is there a reason for querying about a mean chicken? If you're looking for one who will roam your orchards and fend off predators, or even be able to fend for themself, I don't believe you will find one. While there are stories of roosters who defend their flocks and survive, unfortunately these examples are few and far between. A domestic rooster, even a large one like a Jersy Giant, is fodder for racoons, coyotes, dogs and the like and are easily picked off by larger raptors like eagles and the like.

If you're looking for the pit bull or Rotweiller of chickendom, there really isn't one.

Good luck with your chicken venture,
Mary

 

[Bridget399]

I've only ever owned 3 breeds of chickens but I'd have to say that my RIRs were pretty brutal. AND they are the only ones I hand raised, so you would think that would be the most friendly out of all the chickens that I have! I had four Roos (for meat) and they drew blood from pecking me on more than one occasion.

And one of my RIR hens would attack my dog the moment she laid eyes on her! She would go out of her way to attack my dog! She'd come flying clear from the other side of yard just to fight the dog... (it was really halarious.) The dog thought it was a game, and they would take turns playing tag, though I knew, from this chicken's stink eye that she meant business. Once the girls begin to lay eggs though, IMO, they tend to calm down. She no longer picks fights with the dog.

My Golden Comets attacked my new Roo, a silkie, but I know that was because he didn't fight back and I didn't introduce him properly. (He's now established in the group, after months of integration.) They are much more "flighty" than my RIRs, however.

 

[NellaBean]

My meanest hen so far has been a Black Andalusian (er....Blue Andalusian that is black?).....loved to bite me and would literally run to the front of the coop up on the nest boxes and wait for me to get close enough to bite. Grrrrr...

My white leghorns are not "nice" but not mean...just super duper flighty.

As far as roosters, my first hatchery RIR was mean as can be. My second hatchery RIR has been nice as can be. The last barn I kept my horse at had two roosters, a RIR and a White Leghorn. That RIR was mean as can be.


Seems like as far as hatchery or non-breeder quality RIR, I seem to hear the most about 'bad seeds'.