Advice on handling an aggressive chick (rooster?)

[Sunnyabc]

Hello BYC gurus, This is my first post so thank you in advance to any who can help. I have five 2 1/2 week old chicks. The americauna grew so much faster and has feathers almost fully formed. She is very aggressive towards other 4 smaller chicks. She flys at them and lands on their backs with her feet. They scream and I think I may see some blood on the buff Orpingtons back Is this rooster behavior? I am not allowed by my neighbors to keep a rooster. Is there a way to tell before he / she rips the others to shreds? Do I need to separate them in the meantime?

So many thanks!
Amy

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Any chicken can be aggressive regardless of sex. Usually providing more space and some diversions cures aggression. How big is the brooder and what are they in?

 

[Kailey the Animal Lover]

Is she aggressive to you? If she is just aggressive towards the other pullets, you could put up a divider so she is on one side, and the other pullets are on the other side. She could get used to them that way. Are they sexed, or not sexed? They can be aggressive regardless of sex.

 

[jonalisa]

Sounds like a rooster. Have you been handling the chicks from the beginning? I can only speak from experience, but I had the same issue. One chick started crowing at 2.5 weeks. It didn't like being held. I tried anyway, for a month, holding him - making sure I didn't let him go until he stopped wriggling. It didn't work and I had to give him away to a local farm - where he is treasured to do his thing. He did try to attack me every time I tried to shoo the hens in to the coop. He was very defensive.
If it were me I would separate him- having blood on a chick will cause her to become the subject of attacks and then you'll have to separate her too. I'd start looking for a home.
Post a photo. Many folks here are good at figuring out a roo at an early age.

 

[Lalo Moreno]

Rooster I’m not sure can you show a pic. Since they are still young the pecking order isn’t fully established. In fact it might even do a 180 and the americauna might be the one to get bullied.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Just because you have an aggressive bird, I'm not convinced of the sex.
I've raised thousands of chicks and never really see a difference between sexes at that age related to aggression.
Just give them more space and the problems may disappear.

 

[Sunnyabc]

Is she aggressive to you? If she is just aggressive towards the other pullets, you could put up a divider so she is on one side, and the other pullets are on the other side. She could get used to them that way. Are they sexed, or not sexed? They can be aggressive regardless of sex.

She is not agggressive towards me but has NEVER allowed me to hold her. Always fought and ran from 3 days old. They are sexed with the caveat that 1 in 10 are males.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Very early aggression is usually not related to gender (not until they pass about fourteen weeks.) My last batch of chicks were chest bumping and pulling feathers at three weeks, and the two that were most aggressive (game/layer crosses) were both female. Aggression has a lot more to do with parent stock and individual temperament than sex.

Put up a divider--a piece of hardware cloth, or an old screen will work--and see if you have the resources to increase their available space. Hopefully, that will calm (her?) down.

Then post pictures at 8 weeks, and sex should be easy to determine.

Good Luck.

 

[Sunnyabc]

Sounds like a rooster. Have you been handling the chicks from the beginning? I can only speak from experience, but I had the same issue. One chick started crowing at 2.5 weeks. It didn't like being held. I tried anyway, for a month, holding him - making sure I didn't let him go until he stopped wriggling. It didn't work and I had to give him away to a local farm - where he is treasured to do his thing. He did try to attack me every time I tried to shoo the hens in to the coop. He was very defensive.
If it were me I would separate him- having blood on a chick will cause her to become the subject of attacks and then you'll have to separate her too. I'd start looking for a home.
Post a photo. Many folks here are good at figuring out a roo at an early age.

Thanks Jonalisa. Sounds like my chick. She is not agggressive towards me but has NEVER allowed me to hold her. Always fought and ran from 3 days old. Oh and also I forgot to mention she has a much different chirp. Almost like a low warble. I’m going to try getting a pic!

 

[Sunnyabc]

Very early aggression is usually not related to gender (not until they pass about fourteen weeks.) My last batch of chicks were chest bumping and pulling feathers at three weeks, and the two that were most aggressive (game/layer crosses) were both female. Aggression has a lot more to do with parent stock and individual temperament than sex.

Put up a divider--a piece of hardware cloth, or an old screen will work--and see if you have the resources to increase their available space. Hopefully, that will calm (her?) down.

Then post pictures at 8 weeks, and sex should be easy to determine.

Good Luck.

Thank you! This is good to hear. I will try separate for now. Interestingly I just increased the space to a refrigerator box on its side and that seems to have increased the frenetic energy. Lots of flying and running.