Could these be a result of poor breeding, etc.

[hocuspocus]

This is probably going to sound goofy, but I was wondering if poor breeding by a seller/breeder could possibly produce this:

We bought a Bard Rock approximately 8 months old who turned out to be the nastiest bird we have ever seen. She attacked every single one of the other chickens, doing observable harm to two of them before we had to separate her from the flock. We tried several times to integrate her before we had to remove her permanently.

Another purchase from the same seller was the prettiest little Wyandotte. She produces some of the largest and nicest eggs of any chicken we own, however she acts really strangely. She manages to get up on the perch at night, but to see her try to get down is almost hysterical. After several attempts to launch she misjudges the distance and ends up flying into the far wall of the coop. Outside, free ranging it, she spends more time laying down than she does foraging, and her perceived depth perception problems show themselves when she tries to get down even the smallest of upgrades.

Finally, what appeared initially to be a "normal" R.I. Red has now turned out to be a brooder. She has stopped laying, and stays in one of the nesting boxes most of the day, only rarely leaving to get a drink. We've tried to get her to the perch at night, but in the morning she is back in one of the boxes. We've dunked her in cold water, taken her out of the box (repeatedly), and tried keeping her out of the coop and run until evening, all to no avail.

Any ideas, or is this all just part of having chickens?

 

[sourland]

This is all just part of having chickens. Chicken society is frequently cruel and there always has to be a 'boss'. Your Wyandotte sounds as if she may be overweight and fearful of flying down from the roost. As for the RIR - broody hens are persistent in their desire to become mothers.

 

[Bine]

Okay... first my opinion to water dumping, dark boxes and other "methods": trying to break a broody by water torturing her is not a good idea and doesn't help to establish a natural sociale order in the coop.
If someone would dump you into cold water every time you think about your family, would that make you act normal? Or would you get angry or sad or afraid or all of this?
So if the hen wants to sit, let her sit for a while and normally they come out of the broodiness much easier if they see/feel that the eggs are not fertile.
Heritage Rhode Island Red are good broodies and mums, so it is not the breeder, it is the breed.
Same goes for the BR. As far as I know BR are know to be bossy and can get agressive to other calmer breeds.

Wyandotte... well, were a hen sits at night has more to do with her place in the pecking order than with her ability to fly or to jump, so a little ladder for the little lady and all is good.