aggressive baby cochin!

[chicken1234]

Aapomp831 you just have been fortunate not to have dealt with a bird like this. I am not wearing a glove out of fear I am wearing it because she will puncture the skin on my hands. I work for a living with my hands and I cannot afford to be cut up. She is nothing like dealing with a fearful dog either and your toddler comment I find very bizarre. I am also not in a rush to kill her I just posted asking for advice on how to handle her behaviour since I have never had a aggressive chicken before.

 

[Folly's place]

She sounds amazing, not in a good way. I agree that some time and handling might help get her under control, but don't feel guilty if nothing works. 'Born crazy' does happen, and someone may have moved her on for that reason. It's too bad that full disclosure didn't happen here, but good luck with your project child!
Mary

 

[chicken1234]

So I still have Miss Gretchen but her attitude has improved somewhat. She still growls and challenges me at times especially when I am locking them in at night. I have her in a new coop with Delores and she stopped bothering her but maybe its because Delores towers over her in size. I think she just has a bad attitude cause if looks could kill I'd be dead lol.

 

[Sennerd]

So I still have Miss Gretchen but her attitude has improved somewhat. She still growls and challenges me at times especially when I am locking them in at night. I have her in a new coop with Delores and she stopped bothering her but maybe its because Delores towers over her in size. I think she just has a bad attitude cause if looks could kill I'd be dead lol.

I had to get rid of a bantam mottled Cochin last week. It had aggression problems I have not read about anywhere on the internet. When it pecked others it put it's whole body into it and always aimed at the head so an eye was going to go sooner or later. It refused to nest in the same box as any other hen and any hen that sat in her box was attacked over and over. It was plain unpleasant and created logistical problems for me in isolating her and trying to manage egg laying. I feel a bit depressed about it but I ran out of hope of it ever getting better - she was nine months of pure stress. The remaining Cochin is also aggressive but in no way on the same level.

 

[chicken1234]

We ended up having to send her to freezer camp her aggression got worse and delores my orpinton started copying the behaviour. I think she had a brain disorder. Delores is doing well and her behaviour returned to sweet.

 

[Stino12]

One of my hens is a bit of a butt to the other hens. She forces them off the nest so she can lay an egg and because they all want that particular box the others end up laying their eggs on the ground. She was being particularly mean one day so I put her in a little run for a couple of days where she could see everyone but couldn't have fun. She's less butty now. Definitely still a butt though. Just less.

 

[Sennerd]

We ended up having to send her to freezer camp her aggression got worse and delores my orpinton started copying the behaviour. I think she had a brain disorder. Delores is doing well and her behaviour returned to sweet.

I think this is a similar experience then. Since I had not seen this behaviour before I thought getting two gentle giant Brahmas to occupy the coop would bring an end to the chaos of the two bantams. Alas, one bantam never lived that long but I do think it had a screw loose. The remaining bantam has reverted back to a very nice hen probably because the psycho has been removed. In fact I now have three chickens that look like they enjoy life and actually it is a bit of comedy to see the bantam squeezing through a towering hen and rooster to get first run at the garden when I walk down the path. I think my filter will be 'do they lay well or are they peaceful?' The rooster stays at the moment because he is peaceful but when it is neither then they have to go.

 

[Folly's place]

Peace is a very good thing!