Anyone have experience w/ Cuckoo Marans?

[hwjimmy21]

Hi there! I have a cuckoo maran that's about 8 months old. She lives along with two Barred Plymouth Rocks and a Dominique, two of which are four months old. She like to pick on the little ones every so often, and gets a little vicious when I give them treats. She gets extremely greedy and steals the other chicken's treats. Has anyone else had experience with a Cuckoo Maran Hen? Is this just their normal behavior?

 

[GitaBooks]

Oh yeah. I only owned one Cuckoo Maran, but he showed me they have an aggressive game bird side to them. He would attack me and we ended up getting rid of him.

 

[Michael OShay]

I've had Cuckoo Marans before and while they are not the most calm and gentle breed I've had by any stretch of the imagination, they have been generally reasonably docile, and other than establishing the normal pecking order among the hens, they have gotten along pretty well with my other breeds. The issue with your birds is likely just an older hen establishing herself at the top of the pecking order by dominating the much younger birds. Also, make sure that your birds are not overcrowded as overcrowding can quickly lead to aggression, biting and feather plucking, and even cannibalism with any breeds.