Mean pullet: queen of the flock or roo, and what to do about it.

[nikkimay]

8 weeks ago we got 4 chicks; an easter egger, a light brahma, a black australorp, and a barred cochin. The easter egger was a day old and the others were all a week old.

A couple weeks ago they moved out of my office and into a giant wire dog crate in the main coop. I've started letting them have run around time in the big main coop when our loan older hen is out in the yard.

The easter egger is very aggressive towards the other girls, and she's also the biggest. She chases them, pecks them, and jumps on them.

I know one hen is always going to be the top of the pecking order and we've had a feisty easter egger before, but I'm trying to figure out if there's more than that going on.

The other girls are all very tame and friendly. They don't mind being touched and they hop in my lap. I can't even get close to the easter egger.

Could she be a roo? Even if she's not do you think I should find a new home for her so the other girls don't live in fear?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[momma of a chicken lover]

I am not a pro by any means. I did watch my silver laced Wyandotte morph into a rooster. I also have an Easter egger. Those feathers growing down the neck, those tails feathers and the behavior described are suspiciously rooster like. Your chicken is too young to be certain and I lived in blissful denial until the crowing began. Heck, I even predicted that the silver laced would be the first to lay an egg! Keep us up to date!

 

[omilona]

Those neck feathers are very suspicious. Keep a lookout for rusty feathers on the shoulders and wings.

 

[Frost Homestead]

that's a rooster. Im 10000% positive

 

[donrae]

That is a rooster. Mating behavior, especially amongst the younger birds, is often distressing for humans to watch. You might just want to get rid of him if you don't like the behavior.