Hen fluffing out neck and aggressive

[Tweetledee]

I recently introduced x2 Amberlink hens (apparently 18 weeks old) to my flock of 4 other layers.

Initially my hens were showing the newbies whose boss and keeping them in the roof enclosed run. Now they are letting them into the enclosure, but still remind them whose boss, but they getting along.

One of the new hens seems overly aggressive and Im sure its because of her new surroundings (she bit the handler when I purchased her) and later bit me when I tried to get her to go up into the hen house to roost. But I saw her display some really strange stance the other day, which Ive never seen in my (limited but more than a year) experience with hens.

My dogs usually bark around the hens when pigeons get trapped in their run and so my older girls are unfazed. The new ones were obviously scared at first, but now that they are more confident, they are getting used to it too until I saw the one Amber challenge my rottie. She fluffed up the hair on her neck which became longer (almost in a braid-able length) and her face got extremely viscous. Then she jabbed through the fence trying to attack the dog. Ive never seen this type of aggression in a hen and now Im thinking we got a rooster (even though they said these were layers)

So my (long winded) question is do hens fluff up enough to look that aggressive, and not just puff up like my other hens?

 

[jpalmatier83]

I recently introduced x2 Amberlink hens (apparently 18 weeks old) to my flock of 4 other layers.

Initially my hens were showing the newbies whose boss and keeping them in the roof enclosed run. Now they are letting them into the enclosure, but still remind them whose boss, but they getting along.

One of the new hens seems overly aggressive and Im sure its because of her new surroundings (she bit the handler when I purchased her) and later bit me when I tried to get her to go up into the hen house to roost. But I saw her display some really strange stance the other day, which Ive never seen in my (limited but more than a year) experience with hens.

My dogs usually bark around the hens when pigeons get trapped in their run and so my older girls are unfazed. The new ones were obviously scared at first, but now that they are more confident, they are getting used to it too until I saw the one Amber challenge my rottie. She fluffed up the hair on her neck which became longer (almost in a braid-able length) and her face got extremely viscous. Then she jabbed through the fence trying to attack the dog. Ive never seen this type of aggression in a hen and now Im thinking we got a rooster (even though they said these were layers)

So my (long winded) question is do hens fluff up enough to look that aggressive, and not just puff up like my other hens?

Pullets, not just cockerels, will fluff their neck feathers to appear bigger when they’re afraid or aggressive.

But, pictures will help determine the sex of the bird, regardless of the behavior.

 

[Tweetledee]

Thanks. Ive seen the others fluff as pullets, but nothing like this one . Maybe shes just got her own unique look.

This is a pic I took of the two Amberlinks when I got them. I will try get a better one today as they were wary of me on day 1

The one on the right is my agro chick. Its got small brown spots on its feathers while the other girl is pure white.

 

[jpalmatier83]

Amber links are sex linked birds, meaning the males and females are different colors even from hatching.

Those are pullets.

 

[LaFleche]

She might just becoming into lay or become broody which will lead to more aggressive behaviour.