Your 1 Crazy Chicken!!

[SteveBaz]

I have 1 chicken that’s 23 weeks old that I bought with the entire flock of girls total 15 of them from a local Urban Farm Store here in town when they were3 days old. This one chicken my “EE” that acts totally different than any of my other hens. Understand what happened is a raccoon attack, 5 were killed so I have 10 left being 1 Buff Orpington, 2 Plymouth Rocks, 1 (crazy) “EE”, 2 Silver Lace, 1 Golden Lace, 1 Dominique, 1 Black Copper Maran, 1 Rhode Island Red. She is indifferent with me and could care less whether I am around or not. She is interested for 2 seconds when I have treats. Is very difficult to get at all to pick up. I have to corner her to inspect her and touch and love her. She likes it when I touching and holding her but as soon as I let pressure of my arm she jumps away? Come on, she jump straight up in the air sometimes 3’ and be spooked for anything. All my other girls run into my arms. She hate me. She gives me the stink eye when I’m around.

Which of your girls do this to you? What breed is your tough one? What have you done to get them better with you? Have you even got better results? I certainly have not? I am not going crazy she has the devil inside her incarnate!!

 

[PtldChick]

Some chickens have different personalities (well, they all do) but some are flightier than others. Chickens are prey; being wary is a survival tecchnique. I'd just let her be and not get frustrated about it.

None of mine like to be picked up, I didn't raise them with lots and lots of contact. Most of them will take treats out of my hand but not all of them. I figure it's Ok, they're chickens being chickens.

My least 'friendly' are my lighter breed chickens - but then they normally are. My WL, EE/D'Uccle cross and WTB Japanese are my most skittish.

 

[ChickChickChicky]

My Red Star and Black Star enjoy being held and petted and will come right up to me and wait to be picked up. I have another RIR mix that is just okay with being picked up; most of the time she kinda avoids me but occasionally wants to be held. Those three came from a flock of about 70 who were free-ranged, but the lady who owned (and hatched) them picked up and talked to every one of those birds on a daily basis. The next three came from a guy who was strictly "hands off" as far as handling his birds. The Australorp is getting better about being held... she will get close to me but has never actually held still enough to be picked up, I usually have to get the hook to catch her. The 2 RIR's want nothing to do with being held (although if I do catch them they don't really struggle). I ALWAYS have to have the hook to catch them. I don't believe the previous owner EVER handled them (or ever let them out of their dark little coop). There is obviously a bond between those two, because if I catch one of them, the other will squawk loudly and charge at me with wings spread (that's all the farther it goes, no harm done). I think it just all depends on the individual bird and how it was raised.

 

[ChickChickChicky]

Maybe that EE was traumatized by the coon attack, and thinks you're not a very good protector anymore. Are chickens that complicated???? Who knows.......

 

[SteveBaz]

Maybe that EE was traumatized by the coon attack, and thinks you're not a very good protector anymore. Are chickens that complicated???? Who knows.......

You may be right but I offer a lot of love and personal 1 on 1 but just today she leaped and flew to a 9' fence. Really touchy this one let me tell you she just hate contact at all. I just clipped her right wing for the fence jumping thing just this AM.

 

[mandelyn]

No matter what kind of flock I have, there has always been that ONE bird who wanted to be a weirdo. The flock now, it's Hammie the Hamburg

Last flock, the odd but sweet one was Miss Puffy Pants the Bantam Cochin.

Before that, Jibbers the OEG bantam rooster was the cool one. Thing 2 a LF American Game hen was the nut. My dad started up a chain saw from far away and she shot 40 feet up into a pine tree. Not a new noise to her. When it was time to put them up everyone but her would pop through the door but she ran laps around the coop running right past the door about 15 times every night. Jibbers would help me put her up, he was a cool dude for a rooster.

The first flock I had was made up of 50 birds. Largest flock I've ever had. Still... that ONE chicken... her name was Mean Thing. Best broody I ever had. She was insane. She didn't weigh much at all, being a bantam Black Rose comb crossed with something bearded. She'd kill mice, moles, voles, gardner snakes... anything. She stole eggs and would roll them several feet, till she had so many she couldn't cover them all. First to fly in my lap and come when called. Sweet to me. Injured a lot of other hens and roosters too, she only tolerated one rooster of the 7 I had. She hardly ever laid an egg, just stole from everyone else to brood.

Her last day was when she faced down a hawk in the middle of a field. She was mad, she had a plan to flog it, but it carried her off before I could catch her. Had to spend two hours catching her chicks and get another broody to take them. She was completely nuts as far as chickens go, never had another one like that.

 

[SteveBaz]