Evil hens: UPDATE! A CHANUKAH MIRACLE!!!

[JakRat]

I have a chicken friend that is going to look for me 2 buff orpys tonight at the livestock auction. He is going to watch them for a few days to see how they do, then we might do a trade. I hear that buffys are better with babies and other hens.

 

[SkyWarrior]

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Soup is good food.

 

[aoxa]

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As long as you get them as day olds, or hens that were held and used to people, you should be good. My BO is very skittish. She sounds like the BRs you have now

Don't let the BRs you have now deter you from other BRs. You hens are the minority.

 

[SuperChickenDude327]

Oui, Oui, I agree. BRs are sweet as ... well, sugar. Only breed of poultry I've ever raised, and sweet as a button, all of them. Okay, yes, they do get a bit loud, and sometimes peck, but other then that, They're GREAT!

 

[kittykat01]

Hi JakRat, I know EXACTLY what you mean about MEAN! I have one hen who is just plain nasty. We have tried everything with her, she has heaps of food, space,entertainment, and lots of grass to range on, but she will always seek out one of the other chickens and 'bully' it into moving or giving up whatever it is eating. She has also progressed to feather plucking and eating, and has made a horrible mess of one of my sweet sussex girls. She has also started to crow sometimes, purely to assert dominance.

I have concluded that like people, some chickens are just plain nasty. This girl also dislikes my children and runs a mile sqwaking if anyone goes near her. All of my girls have been raised together, and she is the only one that is not a lap chook, and is vicious to the others. BTW she is a black Australorp (usually considered a docile breed...). I have decided to rehome her, preferably to someone with a rooster to keep her in line, and I will explain her faults when I do so. I initially felt bad about 'giving up' on her, but after what she did to my sussex girls, totally unprovoked, I consider her lucky if she finds herself in a new home rather than a soup pot!

 

[JakRat]

I think that they may be a mix or low quality BR's... I did all I could to handle them and everything but they just never wanted to be held. They are super independent and complain about the little babies... its so annoying.

 

[goldfinches]

Yep, my roo was human aggressive when he hit puberty, and is still flighty, but hasn't come after me in a long time. I still plan to get a couple of new roos in the spring, I don't trust him long term.

I have 2 BR hens. They aren't cuddly, but aren't mean. They're good layers, and love foraging. I agree with the others, don't give up on the breed. But, the BO's you're considering, I bet they're going to be love bugs. Mine have tons of personality.

 

[cmom]

I had two hens that were bullies. I caught one hen really wailing away on one of the pullets. Originally I did take them out of the flock for about a week. When I did put them back with the flock one was ok but the other was still being a real bully so I took her back out and put her back in jail for another week then let her back in with the flock and she started in again. She was so intent on a pullet that she didn't know I was there. I had a hose in my hand and gave her a good squirt with the hose. She wasn't expecting it as she was really into beating up the pullet. Boy did she ever jump off when she got hit with the water. She ran into the coop and didn't come back out for a long time. I caught her a few more times and always had the hose handy and squirted her when she was being aggressive. She eventually quit bullying. That is when I used the hose and caught her off guard. I guess she eventually knew if she kept it up she would get squirted. She would block the pop door and keep the pullets out so they couldn't get to the feed. I put a second pop door in the coop and another feeder out in their run. She couldn't guard both pop doors.

 

[JakRat]

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Hmm that is a good idea. I wonder if a squirt bottle would work? My stress level is so high ... why can't we all just get along!

 

[galanie]

Just get the BO's and trade away your problems. Life's too short to have chickens that stress you and the others out. They are what they are, you can't change that.

I know plenty of people disagree but for me, if a chicken is causing my flock to be unsettled and freaky, it's gone. I don't put up with bullies or oddballs. Unless they're nice oddballs like my Souper Girl LOL.