Amerucauna chicks

[huffman]

Hi all! I was wondering if anyone could fill me in on the temperament of Amerucauna chickens? I purchased 6 about 3 weeks ago and they seem to be a bit aggressive. They are roughly 3-4 weeks of age. When we go to pick them up they freak out and start to run around and when you put your hand in the bin they peck it. Last year we purchased 3 isa browns and 3 Rhode islands and never had a problem picking them up, even the rooster was friendly. I have 6 grown chickens, 4 ducks and 2 young children. I really hope these little babe's won't become a problem...thanks!!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

A little more information might help us.
Did you get your birds from a breeder, a hatchery or a retail store? What size of a brooder are you using? When you approach them to pick them up are you coming in from above or placing your hand into the brooder, allowing them to settle and then approaching from the side/beneath to actually grasp the bird? What socialization have you done with them so far? The reaction you are seeing is actually very normal for chicks that are not properly socialized - they are reacting to you/your hand as a predator.

 

[FowlStuff]

Hi all! I was wondering if anyone could fill me in on the temperament of Amerucauna chickens? I purchased 6 about 3 weeks ago and they seem to be a bit aggressive. They are roughly 3-4 weeks of age. When we go to pick them up they freak out and start to run around and when you put your hand in the bin they peck it. Last year we purchased 3 isa browns and 3 Rhode islands and never had a problem picking them up, even the rooster was friendly. I have 6 grown chickens, 4 ducks and 2 young children. I really hope these little babe's won't become a problem...thanks!!

Ol Grey Mare asks about where you got the chicks and that could lead to revealing if they truly are "standard" Ameraucana chickens.
Quote: http://fowlstuff.com/FFAQ.html#three Quote: http://fowlstuff.com/FFAQ.html#four

 

[huffman]

We got our chicks from the local tractor supply. They labeled them as amerucauna straight run. They all look different but they have the chipmunk stripe down their back. We handle them how was handled our other chickens when they were little. Just walking by them makes them go crazy.

 

[junebuggena]

We got our chicks from the local tractor supply. They labeled them as amerucauna straight run. They all look different but they have the chipmunk stripe down their back. We handle them how was handled our other chickens when they were little. Just walking by them makes them go crazy.

You purchased Easter Eggers. Easter Eggers haven't been bred to meet a specific breed standard, and therefore have a huge range in looks, size, production rate, and temperament. There are absolutely no guarantees with Easter Eggers. That's part of what makes them so much fun.

 

[huffman]

A little more information might help us.
Did you get your birds from a breeder, a hatchery or a retail store?  What size of a brooder are you using?  When you approach them to pick them up are you coming in from above or placing your hand into the brooder, allowing them to settle and then approaching from the side/beneath to actually grasp the bird?  What socialization have you done with them so far?  The reaction you are seeing is actually very normal for chicks that are not properly socialized - they are reacting to you/your hand as a predator.

We bought them from the local tractor supply. We keep them in a large 50 gallon tote. As for socializing them I have two young children who love to hold them but it is becoming difficult when they won't stop pecking at them. When we approach we are always on our knees at the side of the tote and wait for them to stop running around before trying to pick them up. Once they are being held they still try to peck at your hand. I keep encouraging my children to try and hold them hopi g that they will not be so aggressive. Our chicks from last year were always eager to be held. Even now when we go outside they run up to us and follow us around the yard. Thanks

 

[huffman]

​You purchased Easter Eggers. Easter Eggers haven't been bred to meet a specific breed standard, and therefore have a huge range in looks, size, production rate, and temperament. There are absolutely no guarantees with Easter Eggers. That's part of what makes them so much fun.

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https://www.backyardchickens.com/content/type/61/id/7736520/width/200/height/400
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These pictures were taken roughly 2 weeks ago. Four of the six we have.

 

[FowlStuff]

Tractor Supply Co is notorious for misrepresenting standard breeds of chickens, especially Ameraucanas.
I'm not a supporter of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) agenda, but the mutt chicks that TSC promote and sell year after year are the opposite of what the ALBC is supposedly promoting, so that makes the two of them strange bedfellows.

Quote: http://www.albc-usa.org/tractor_supply_partnership.html

Educating the public about standard bred poultry is great and I've done my part for decades, but for TSC to keep selling hatchery stock under official "standard" names is hypocritical in my opinion. Sure they sometimes misspell it as "Ameracaunas" and other similar names, but unethical is still the word for their deception. Some "awareness", Eh?​

 

[keesmom]

They labeled them as amerucauna straight run. They all look different but they have the chipmunk stripe down their back. We handle them how was handled our other chickens when they were little. Just walking by them makes them go crazy.

If you got straight run you probably have some males in there. In my limited experience with EE cockerels (2 oops ones out of 6 "pullets"), they were mean. They were butchered at 13 weeks. I have found the EE pullets to be mixed, some friendly, some not so much. They all lay pretty eggs though.