Scared Chicken

[Grandma The Chicken]

I have a chicken named Tony and he is the same breed as Grandma (except Grandma is in a different color), which they are both Plymouth Rocks. What I don't understand is why he is the only one scared and Grandma isn't. I heard that Plymouth Rocks have a calm temperament, but I guess this isn't Tony's case. Usually, my chickens get scared during molting as they are embarrassed by their appearance. Tony is going through a slight molt right now but even without the molt, he is still scared. He is emotionally stable and it's been 4 years since our last chicken died (and was the same breed as Tony) so that can't be it. He does act aggressive towards other objects. When we got 2 new baby Leghorns in 2020, I waited until they were a bit older and then showed them to Tony and, of course, he pecked at them. I'm not sure what is going on with Tony, it could be stress or something more serious. Here's a photo of Tony.

 

[nuthatched]

What exactly are you experiencing?
Temperament us up to the individual chicken and some are just flighty.
Chickens aren't self aware enough to be embarrassed by molting. Tony kinda looks like a hen

 

[Grandma The Chicken]

What exactly are you experiencing?
Temperament us up to the individual chicken and some are just flighty.
Chickens aren't self aware enough to be embarrassed by molting. Tony kinda looks like a hen

He's scared of things other chickens are scared of but other than my other chickens, he doesn't enjoy being stroked or held.

 

[nuthatched]

He's scared of thongs other chickens are scared of but other than my other chickens, he doesn't enjoy being stroked or held.

Most chickens don't like being held or petted, it's part of being a prey animal. Its normal. Are you sure Tony is a he? From the picture, there are no male saddles, hackles, comb or patterns.

 

[Grandma The Chicken]

Tony is a hen. Therefore, Tony is a she. I might consider the name change but that's not important.

 

[nuthatched]

Tony is a hen. Therefore, Tony is a she. I might consider the name change but that's not important.

You kept saying 'he', it is important since if he was truly a he with girl feathers, there might be serious hormone issues.