The Meanest, Nastiest, Fowlest (pun-intended) Chickens of All

[Cetawin]

Welcome to BYC! Throughout my childhood and lifetime I am going to say the RIR. The roosters can be very very aggressive indeed. I have two RIR hens now that are little snots. I have a mixed flock of Australorps, Cochins, Wyandottes, EE, Faverolles, BO, Dominique, NHR and hybrids. (I also hgave some young Delaware). The two RIRs are the meanest I have.


In the event you do not know what they are....

RIR Rhode Island Red
BO Buff Orpington
NHR New Hampshire Red

 

[becky3086]

I disliked my cuckoo marans so much that I gave them all away. They were flighty, the roos were terrible rough on the hens and the hens were egg eaters. They never attacked me but ...I really just didn't like them.
I also had a little sebright rooster who used to attack me, but later I had one who didn't.

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

I had a couple RIR roosters that would attack you for no reason. Now my RIRs are gone, but I have a rooster out of one of them and a sex-link hen. He's huge (bigger than my orp Clyde), and looks like a BB red rhode island. If you pick up one of his hens, he'll run across the yard and flog you. Otherwise, he's a total chicken

Haha.

I also have a little Dutch rooster who is FULL of himself. He's pretty tame. I can pick him up fairly easily. But if you wave your foot around at him, he'll attack it. I've never seen a chicken kick that fast

Of course as little as he is, he has nubs for spurs, so it doesn't hurt even if you just had socks on. He's not mean though, just has an ego the size of Russia.

By the way, both of these are hatchery birds. I have a feeling birds from a breeder, pet quality or show quality, will probably be more nice. Most people send their meanest roosters to freezer camp

Although I may not be able to tell you which breed for sure is the meanest (because even in my RIRs, I've had nice ones), I can say which are the nicest and sweetest I've had. Those would be my Orpingtons, cochins, houdan, d'uccles, and old english game bantams. Some may be a bit more flighty than others, but they all wouldn't hurt a fly. My OEGB rooster is cocky too, but has never tried anything against me or the others. And the hens are very easy to tame

Won't be long before my D'uccles are a year old, and I have yet to hear anything out of the rooster that I know of. I've never had chickens so quiet! My cochins are still growing, but still are very quiet and calm.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I think it is shamo, but could have been malay that a friend is keeping that is downright nasty--literally tried to bite his neck in two.

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

Quote:
Wow

I was thinking the game birds would probably end up being the most nasty in nature. If not towards us, then towards anything else with feathers.

 

[Master S.M.C]

my jersey giant is just horrible...i have to were thick sweats to go in the coop to collect eggs

 

[rancher hicks]

Never had a RIR hen or roo, but from what I've read in the books it's RIR roos. Friends have had them and now they've gotten rid of them. I gave them a Del roo and they like them. I have a Del roo and CM roo and they're fine. Not mean to me but not pick up friendly. When I do grab them they seem fine. Have GLW, SLW, Aus, DEl, BO, Dom and Red Bantam Friz's and none seem mean. Won't get RIR's just cuz, well maybe a hen or two. but no roos.

 

[chickenlover54]

every single cross rooster I have ever had. First there was 3 cross roosters that were horrible to there hens, and then there wasa TWINKLE(I know a stupid name but thats what it was since he was a girl turned boy LOL. One day I went out to the coop(this was like 3 years ago) and he brutally attacked me , I actually had blood all over my face and every second that he saw me from then on he tried to kill me. One day me and my 3 y.o nephew were gathering eggs and he came up behind him and knocked him down and I grabbed him and broke his neck

. there was the end of Twinkle. My nephew was scared of roosters for months.

 

[chickenlittle32]

I have never had a problem with my RIRs. Both hens and my roos are the sweetest things ever...but...they are just shy of a yr old...so, it could get worse. The only problem I am dealing with is my standard bronze tom...I can't make myself dispatch him tho...LOL

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
Wow

I was thinking the game birds would probably end up being the most nasty in nature. If not towards us, then towards anything else with feathers.

Some gamebirds have a nasty reputation; others do not (for example, modern games are supposed to be one of hte sweetest natured birds around). I don;t have any gamebirds, so I can only go on reputation and what people I know who raise them have told me.

I do strongly subscribe to the idea that individual temperament and how they are raised/treated plays a huge role. I do not believe that you can beat your mean old roos into submission--that just sets the stage that you are to be challenged again at some future date when the bird feels like it is more likely to win.