Hen with a bad attitude, wavering on what to do

[lomine]

I'm sorry, I'm pretty soft hearted too but a lot of people try to be more self-sufficent, and that includes butchering livestock. I threw up the first time I butchered extra cockerels but its gotten easier...there are a few I wouldn't touch tho...my favs

I don't like the the killing part either. I've got 2 hens I've decided get to stay until they die of natural causes (or have to be euthanized). They are so sweet and both are amazing mothers. They both adopted chicks I hatched in the incubator. One even took a lone chick that was more than a week younger than the one she had.

 

[123RedBeard]

I agree with "Invite her to dinner" ... bring some rosemary ...

 

[Unexpected chicken lover]

I don't like the the killing part either. I've got 2 hens I've decided get to stay until they die of natural causes (or have to be euthanized). They are so sweet and both are amazing mothers. They both adopted chicks I hatched in the incubator. One even took a lone chick that was more than a week younger than the one she had.

Those are the kind of broidy hens you need in your flock

 

[deepbluesea]

I would cull her. I'm actually in a somewhat situation, though not with broodies, just with a jerk chicken. I have a bielefelder, which everyone describes and an 'uber-chicken', and she's a jackass. Mean to the ones lower in the pecking order for no reason, and often. I caught her on top of one of my little isbars last weekend. She's afraid of me, but I don't want the drama. Hang in there!

 

[lomine]

I don't really see the difference between culling (either butchering or giving away) a nasty-tempered hen versus doing the same thing to a nasty-tempered rooster, which is pretty much the standard MO for most people who keep a flock of chickens. As to giving away a mean hen, why would I want to pass my animal's behavioral problem along to someone else and disrupt their flock too?

OP's hen has killed three chicks and destroyed an entire nest of fertile eggs that were being cared for by a much better-tempered broody. And she bites OP. I personally would not put up with any chicken in my flock killing chicks or injuring other chickens, period. Especially if the hen was aggressive towards me, too. I'm not going to tolerate aggression in a rooster, and I won't tolerate it in a hen either.

That's a very good point. I planned to keep one of her sons but when spring hormones hit he turned into a selfish terror. I butchered him without hesitation for the sake of flock harmony so it should be the same for trouble maker.

 

[Unexpected chicken lover]

Exactly.. Its the exact same

 

[lomine]

I would cull her. I'm actually in a somewhat situation, though not with broodies, just with a jerk chicken. I have a bielefelder, which everyone describes and an 'uber-chicken', and she's a jackass. Mean to the ones lower in the pecking order for no reason, and often. I caught her on top of one of my little isbars last weekend. She's afraid of me, but I don't want the drama. Hang in there!

Sorry you have to deal with this kind of thing too. Have you decided what to do with your trouble maker?

 

[Myrth]

I don't really see the difference between culling (either butchering or giving away) a nasty-tempered hen versus doing the same thing to a nasty-tempered rooster, which is pretty much the standard MO for most people who keep a flock of chickens. As to giving away a mean hen, why would I want to pass my animal's behavioral problem along to someone else and disrupt their flock too?

OP's hen has killed three chicks and destroyed an entire nest of fertile eggs that were being cared for by a much better-tempered broody. And she bites OP. I personally would not put up with any chicken in my flock killing chicks or injuring other chickens, period. Especially if the hen was aggressive towards me, too. I'm not going to tolerate aggression in a rooster, and I won't tolerate it in a hen either.

Temperament is very hereditary. That is why I decided NOT to breed a beautiful and talented mare that I had. Her temperament was the worst of any horse I have ever owned. While she was a great beauty, and while she was fast and often in the ribbons, I did not want that temperament in any foal she might produce.

That is one of several reasons I evaluate Roos based on temperament too. Not only do I not want to deal with mean roos, but I don’t want a roo beating up on my girls. And I don’t want that meanness in my flock gene pool. Pretty only goes so far. Temperament is huge in my book.

 

[lomine]

Temperament is very hereditary. That is why I decided NOT to breed a beautiful and talented mare that I had. Her temperament was the worst of any horse I have ever owned. While she was a great beauty, and while she was fast and often in the ribbons, I did not want that temperament in any foal she might produce.

That is one of several reasons I evaluate Roos based on temperament too. Not only do I not want to deal with mean roos, but I don’t want a roo beating up on my girls. And I don’t want that meanness in my flock gene pool. Pretty only goes so far. Temperament is huge in my book.

He was a gorgeous splash EE; which is why I was going to keep him. He was pretty well behaved, too. Then he experienced his first spring season at 22 weeks and went off the deep end. I've got a couple girls I hatched that I think are from him. Luckily they seem to take after their 'grandpa' and mothers more than him. I was thinking it might be nice to hatch some hens from trouble maker too but I don't want more like her.

 

[lomine]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I think you've affirmed what I think already knew I needed to do. I will cull her when I do the extra cockerels. It will be a bit different since this is my first hen but I think the rest of the flock will be better off for it.