Your flock's personality quirks

[Triangle Nostril]

What are some personality quirks in your flock?
I have one really sassy chicken. When she was still developing, we actually thought she was a rooster because of her big comb, size, and personality. She does not like being picked up, which became especially apparent when we had to move them from their brooder to their coop. She ran away the most, leading us to her picking her last for the transport. The entire transport she was angrily cheeping, and when we placed her down and offered treats as an apology she walked away with a side glance. All the other chickens happily accepted their treats when placed in their new environment, but she didn't even care.

Now that she's older, she seems to be the top of the pecking order. Occasionally, when they stay out too long and the automatic door closes, I have to pluck them off the top of their coop and put them on their roosts inside. I leave her for last, because she hates being picked up so much that if she sees the others being picked up, she'll just hop off herself and walk inside on her own; but not before making several briskly walked laps around the coop instead of going directly in, as if to say "I'm not going in because you want me to, I made the decision to go in myself."

Just the other night I had to place them inside again from staying out too late. As always, she was the last one and I didn't bother picking her up since she hopped off on her own. But this time, she stopped halfway into the door, took a massive bird poop on the entry ramp, and then continued strutting in.

We call her Chungus. She doesn't pick on the others or anything, but she's quite the diva.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I have a persistent broody, a lavender EE. I've had another name for her before now, but I've decided to call her Atilla the Hen. She went broody the first time before her first birthday, along with another Lavender EE, same age, but a real sweetie. I gave them each two eggs and they each hatched one. I didn't need any chicks but I figured, if they did happen to hatch any, I could deal with them.

They co-parented the chicks, integrated them into the flock, moved them from the brooder into the Big House, taught them to roost, and promptly abandoned them at just under four weeks.

Great. I now knew they were competent mothers. In a matter of weeks they were broody again. Wonderful news! I had ordered 15 chicks to hatch July 1. It was too hot for shipping, so my granddaughter and I drove up to Cackle and got them. Phase1, complete!

Phase 2, putting them under the two hens, proven mothers snd broody again, did not go smoothly, though they had been broody this time right at 3 weeks. We removed Atilla, still in her milk crate, from the Big House after dark and placed her in the brooder, a storage building about 5x8x4' high. She started screaming and puffed up like a cobra. That wasn't right. She was supposed to be sleeping, barely aware of what we were doing. She was aware, though. Very aware! And whatever we were up to, she didn't approve! Hmm. This looked like a few more than 15 chicks ... Honey, start handing me chicks, I'll slip them under her. Shh, quietly. I'm on my knees, can't stand up in this shed, it's only 4' high. He hands me a chick, I gently enclose it in my hand and try to quietly slip it under her ... OW! She smacks me in the hand with her beak. I try again. OW, OW! She's full-on attacking my arm with beak and wings. I throw the chick under her. I don't think she notices. I pretty much throw five or more chicks at her, behind her attacking beak, and skedaddle out of there. I hope she won't kill them.

Long story, cut short at this point. I don't have 15 chicks* I ordered, Cackle gave me 21. With much adventuring and difficulty we got both hens in the brooder along with all 21 chicks by morning and both hens are once again co-parenting. The chicks seem a bit befuddled as to which hen they actually belong to, but they're finding warm places to hang out. Atilla will kill anyone or anything that ventures near them. In two months we have not lost a single chick. They are now eight weeks old and the mothers have just cut them loose, no longer sleeping with them in the brooder.

*I ordered 7 each of Dominique and Black Ameraucana pullets, with one Black Ameraucana cockerel, but the Doms didn't hatch and I took Black Australorps as substitutes. I can't tell them apart at this point. I do know I have at least three cockerels. I have 21 black chicks running like crazy things all over my yard, foraging for bugs like there's no tomorrow! They crack me up! I call them my Thundering Horde.

 

[Cheekychook12]

I have three types of chickens
Angry goober
Friendly goober
Goofy goober