I take it you don't have a rooster?
Nope! These are our first chickens. They're I think 24 or 25 weeks old now.
what is she doing? that she is so mean?
Well, I'm not really sure if it is mean or curiosity but they all love to peck my pants when I go inside, maybe they think it's food. But this particular one has a very hard peck (she's a Black Australorp) and she has also pecked my elbow hard, enough to leave a mark, and just a week or two ago she pecked my gums, and just yesterday she climbed on my leg then my shoulder and I was feeding her kale, thinking she was nice, and she pecked my eye. I am not sure if she's truly being mean or if it's chickens fascination with shiny objects because sometimes she acts scared of me or like she doesn't know what she did but either way, it's dangerous.
But even worse than her being mean to me, she terrorizes my Buff Orpingtons. I feel it is more than pecking order but she could just be a hormonal teenager? She will fly out of nowhere and attack for no reason. According to my dad, just yesterday one was eating and she came over and pecked her for no reason. And when I let them free range sometimes (I don't do it that often), she had flown from across the yard and jumped her for no reason. The other day I was holding an Orpington and she came up and pecked her hard on the head!! I shooed her off then gave chase briefly and she left for a bit but came back not long later. When she came back she did it again! So I gave chase again. I figure a roo would have too. And the worst part was the Orpington, who is very friendly, wanted to leave at first even though she likes me but then settled into my lap more and more each time I chased the Australorp so by the second time she completely settled into my lap, not wanting to leave, once she realized I would protect her.
I could deal with normal pecking order stuff but it's just stuff like that, coming after her for no reason, that makes me mad.
For instance, sometimes the Orpingtons and Easter Eggers squabble but it's just a few wing flaps. She jumps them.
One time I put a tub in there of dirt and the Orpington kept trying to sneak up to it and waited till the other one left, then fought off my Barred Rock for her turn. She was too scared to get close when the Australorp was in it.
I decided though that rather than making any hasty decisions and culling her, I will wait until we build the new, much bigger, coop and run and see if she improve . If that doesn't work, I will keep the old coop set up and separate her from the flock for a week, along with some serious socialization/boot camp. If that doesn't work then I will either leave her alone until she is older and less hormonal OR it will be the end of her days. These are our first chickens and are pets so it's tragic to even think of but she is stressing both myself and the flock out. I don't want to do it which is why I am hoping she is just a hormonal teenager, doesn't have enough space, or is just bored, and am giving her every chance possible.
