Plucky and Bossy Buff Orp Chick?

[CheekyChooks]

I have 8 chicks of a mixture of breeds. One of these is my 6 week old Buff Orpington - Molly. She came to us with bad pasty butt and so didn't have an enjoyable first week with us with the washing and inspecting etc ...

We handled her quite alot since being a week old and she has always been very gentle and docile, however a bit of a worryier and slightly flighty.

Now shes older and in the coop, she has started to peck quite hard and almost aggressively when hand feeding. The rest of the flock eat from my hands and I hardly feel a thing but with Molly she doesn't even go for the food she just pecks my fingers and she does it very hard now to the point where I would bleed if I let her continue.

I noticed when rounding them up to go back into the pen she is the slowest to turn around and waddle back, sometimes confronting me face (looking like she is about to peck me) untill she realises I'm bigger than her so she is best to turn around and do as shes told ... however grudgingly and not without me having to push her a little.

Does this sound like the behaviour of a top hen in the making? Maybe an aggressive one? ... or even a roo? ... I always though Orps were generally very sweet but little Molly is slowly turning into a right little madam. All the others, including Peggy who bossess the whole flock around is very gentle with me and haven't yet attempted to peck off my fingers.

 

[Judy]

You can always get one that does not have the personality that the breed is knows for -- but I suspect you have a roo on your hands. Not because he / she looks like one, though; I'm not very good at that, and certainly can't tell.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

My Buff Orp is top chicken in my flock of four and the rest know it! She is not aggressive toward me, per se, but she does rush me when I go out to the run because she is expecting treats. My Barred Rock is at the bottom of the pecking order, but she is also rough when hand feeding. I think it's just her style.

 

[jmmre31]

I have buffs and I'm pretty sure that isn't a roo. Don't know why she would be aggressive towards you. Maybe you can pick her up and carry her around everytime she does it and see if that helps. I carry my roos around alot and they know I'm the boss.

 

[llnmaw]

Don't want to hijack your thread with my own issue, but since it is similar (though mine is older) I'm hoping some of those in the know can share some tips for gaining dominance over these more aggressive ones. Ours also happens to be a buff orp.

Our pullet (11-ish weeks)has always been friendly, rushes up to me, first one to show up (will submit easily to being held, does not want to be caught though) and I always loved her demeanor. Now she is pecking my feet/boots and generally being nasty when I show up! I was tucking them into the coop one night and she kept poking her head out the door and aggressively pecking my hand/arm as I tried to get her back in. It's getting to be sandal weather and she is pecking the tops of my feet as I approach her. I think she is just a little too confident and needs to be taken down a notch.

Techniques?

~L.

 

[CheekyChooks]

I don't suspect her to be a roo due to her general behaviour seems to indicate hen for some reason. She minds her own business, doesn't really boss the others about too much and isn't one for making a scene ... she is just a nipper! She nips and pecks seriously hard and she goes straight for the fingers and/or cracks in between your fingers. There is no mistaking her accidentally nipping you while eating, she just goes for the hand every time. If you try and pick her up she is now starting to peck where possible too ... I just have a fiesty madam on my hand probably though I have no idea how to sort it other than man-handling her a little more to show her whos boss?