Biting chick (young adult)

[Folly's place]

Have you raised cockerels before, or are these your first?
'Friendly' is often actually 'bold', and evolves into fearless and disrespectful. And biting isn't good in either sex, so correct it every time. Peckpeckpeck, fast and sharp enough to annoy the bird, so he or she moves away.
Mary

 

[TheBirdBabe]

I've got 7 cockerels this year, that need to be sorted out.

Isn't it the worst? When will they make a breed of chicken that are hens only?

 

[TheBirdBabe]

Have you raised cockerels before, or are these your first?
'Friendly' is often actually 'bold', and evolves into fearless and disrespectful. And biting isn't good in either sex, so correct it every time. Peckpeckpeck, fast and sharp enough to annoy the bird, so he or she moves away.
Mary

I've raised many roos before! I've raised 9 before this bunch. None have ever bit me.. maybe 'playfully' while I wiggle my finger at them or even if I am feeding them. But never out of the blue.

I do have aggressive hens though! but they're easier to manage.

 

[Folly's place]

We have a SS hen who's been very pushy, and biting, much improved since last year as a pullet. We won't be incubating any of her eggs! And another hen who guards her time in the nest box, biting hard. None of her eggs will be hatched either. I do think that obnoxious behaviors come through either parent.
@troyer has told about a breeder who raised chicks from a line of nice birds, covered by a human aggressive rooster. The female offspring carried that trait down several generations in their male chicks. He can relate this story much better, it's very interesting. It might have been on this site, not sure.
Mary

 

[MysteryChicken]

Isn't it the worst? When will they make a breed of chicken that are hens only?

Never, since you can't breed without males.

But I don't mind roosters, I like them. They provide food when unneeded, or help produce chicks so you don't have to order new birds every year.

 

[TheBirdBabe]

We have a SS hen who's been very pushy, and biting, much improved since last year as a pullet. We won't be incubating any of her eggs! And another hen who guards her time in the nest box, biting hard. None of her eggs will be hatched either. I do think that obnoxious behaviors come through either parent.
@troyer has told about a breeder who raised chicks from a line of nice birds, covered by a human aggressive rooster. The female offspring carried that trait down several generations in their male chicks. He can relate this story much better, it's very interesting. It might have been on this site, not sure.
Mary

I'm sure that it's easy for unwanted behaviors to be passed down in the gene pool! The chickens automatically know, "They don't like this.. my babies will have 100% of that!" lol