Newbie here.... I know this sounds bad but I'm actually hoping one of our chicks is a rooster so we can take her back to the place we got her. She's a Silver laced Wyandotte which I thought I'd read were pretty chill chickens. This one is a danger to the others. She's right about 3 weeks old and she's so dang skittish. If you place your hand in the brooder she runs around like crazy, trampling over anything in her path, including the new less than a week old chicks. While the other chicks are inquisitive and peck at your fingernails, she full on bites your finger. And, she's started rearing up and challenging the other chicks. I thought we'd have a gentle little flock of 5. I fear the days we let her out to free range b/c I think it'll be especially hard to get her back in her coop. Not to mention that she may try to hurt the others, herself, or us.
We try the "the more you hold them the more comfortable they'll be" approach... nope, not with her. While the other chicks might not care for being held, they never run or balk at it.
Has anyone else had experience with this type of chick? Will she mellow or just get worse?
oh, and while we are at it... is it normal for them to hunker down in their bedding and toss it up on their backs as the others stand around and cannibalistically peck at them? I'm going out on a limb and guessing it's just a way of dealing with what I can only imagine would be an itchy situation as feathers come in. Am I guessing correctly?
Thank you.
Steph
We try the "the more you hold them the more comfortable they'll be" approach... nope, not with her. While the other chicks might not care for being held, they never run or balk at it.
Has anyone else had experience with this type of chick? Will she mellow or just get worse?
oh, and while we are at it... is it normal for them to hunker down in their bedding and toss it up on their backs as the others stand around and cannibalistically peck at them? I'm going out on a limb and guessing it's just a way of dealing with what I can only imagine would be an itchy situation as feathers come in. Am I guessing correctly?
Thank you.
