Big Mean Buff

[MgnRose]

Hey y’all- I have a question that some may seem silly but I am genuinely curious to ask: are some hens just born grumpy and mean?

I have a small flock of 5 chickens and my BO Blanche has always been grumpy and aggressive even as a tiny chick. When the girls were young (maybe 6 weeks) and I put a small roosting bar in their crate, she couldn’t get up onto the bar, got angry and continued to jump- peck her flock mates. This incident is completely indicative of her adult temperament.

She walks around grumbling, guards food, attacks others for no foreseeable reason. She gets frustrated when she can’t do something and nips the others. She grumbles at the other hens when they eat. She’ll grab other hens by the neck, jump on their backs, flapping her wings until the situation is broken up (typically by our dog). After I set her down after health checks, she makes crazy dragon noises and puffs up her feathers while in a low pose with her back to me.

We have tried everything to help these behaviors (separating her from the flock, separating her target hens), but nothing has worked. She is treat motivated and really only appears happy when she is eating and no one else is. Was she just born this way?

 

[MissE]

Just like some people, some animals have a naturally sour disposition.

Personally, I would look at rehoming her at Camp Kenmore or to another flock where she won't start out as top biddie. She needs to be taken down a peg or two, but if she's the same age as the others and was raised with them, they aren't going to stand up to her.

 

[MgnRose]

Post pics. Is it old enough that you might not know if it's a rooster?

She’s 2 and definitely a female- my most consistent layer.

 

[Blue Raptor]

Hey y’all- I have a question that some may seem silly but I am genuinely curious to ask: are some hens just born grumpy and mean?

I have a small flock of 5 chickens and my BO Blanche has always been grumpy and aggressive even as a tiny chick. When the girls were young (maybe 6 weeks) and I put a small roosting bar in their crate, she couldn’t get up onto the bar, got angry and continued to jump- peck her flock mates. This incident is completely indicative of her adult temperament.

She walks around grumbling, guards food, attacks others for no foreseeable reason. She gets frustrated when she can’t do something and nips the others. She grumbles at the other hens when they eat. She’ll grab other hens by the neck, jump on their backs, flapping her wings until the situation is broken up (typically by our dog). After I set her down after health checks, she makes crazy dragon noises and puffs up her feathers while in a low pose with her back to me.

We have tried everything to help these behaviors (separating her from the flock, separating her target hens), but nothing has worked. She is treat motivated and really only appears happy when she is eating and no one else is. Was she just born this way?

Post pics. Is it old enough that you might not know if it's a rooster?

 

[MgnRose]

Just like some people, some animals have a naturally sour disposition.

Personally, I would look at rehoming her at Camp Kenmore or to another flock where she won't start out as top biddie. She needs to be taken down a peg or two, but if she's the same age as the others and was raised with them, they aren't going to stand up to her.

Thank you for your assessment. I posed this question to help us decide our next move, whether to cull or rehome.

Do you think she could integrate nicely into another flock? It makes sense that everyone tolerates her behavior, having hatched and grown up together. Even her being in jail (the run and not free ranging with the flock) for a month hasn’t improved her attitude. It’s just bananas. I guess Blanche was born bad to the bone.

 

[Blue Raptor]

She’s 2 and definitely a female- my most consistent layer.

Yeah, rehoming seems like the best solution.