belligerent crybaby behavior might voice funny , but a meanspirited chicken is no trick . To reduce the tyranny these birds can impose upon us well - meaning humans and the overall good deal , we necessitate to take some defensive steps .
On a personal musical note , when we were untested , my little sister rescued a bantam chick from certain demise . She named the bird Miss Peep and loved her immensely . But before long , it became unmistakable that Miss Peep was actually Mr. Peep , and beyond that , he was one mean value rooster . He would view for one of us to leave the house and come barrel out of the fencerow , header lowered , spur legs at the ready . We had no thought why he was such a anovulant when all we ’d ever done was take care of him . This was our first experience with aggressive Gallus gallus behavior .
Defense # 1: Understand Meanness
To begin with , “ meanspirited ” is a morsel of a misnomer . In the chicken ’s tiny brain , there is no elbow room for tightfistedness as we understand it . Aggressive chicken , however , might adopt behaviors that human race perceive as mean : pecking the hand that feed ; beat up at its opponent or custodian with its wings ( called “ lambast ” ) ; spurring hoi polloi , animals or other volaille ; and basically terrorizing anything that moves . So defense Number One is to recognize that it ’s nothing personal .
While aggression is irritating , concerning , and at times , scary , it can be comforting to gain that chickens put no planning or malice into their action . When we understand that , we ’re less probable to personify aggressive chicken , attribute them ulterior emotion - based motives they are incompetent of and viewing them as enemy .
Aggressiveness in chicken can be hormonal , genetic , natural or behaviorally reinforced . Some breed are naturally more belligerent , just as some are better foragers , layers or mothers . ( See “ study Your Breed ” below . ) Within a stock itself , there will be variations . Bantamstend to be gentle , but Mr. Peep was obviously not a good representative of his tiny strain . Roosters can also comprehend the great unwashed as threats to the good deal and oppose protectively .
Defense # 2: Be Top Bird
suppose like an alpha crybaby . Chickens practice pecking and pugnacity to establish their social hierarchy . In her University of Kentucky Extension article , “ Normal Behaviors of Chickens in Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks , ” project reference coach Jacquie Jacob writes : “ By 16 days of age , fighting to determine the pecking purchase order begins . ”
Like a Chihuahua face up to a pit bruiser , aggressive volaille have no inkling that attack people to show them who ’s the foreman is not go to put them on top — unless , of course , you back down . Backing down from a volaille is not a good affair to do any more than letting a frump , horse or other fauna establish laterality over you . You , or some other less suspecting person or child , could get hurt .
Jacob state that while manlike andfemale chickenscan attack , roosters tend to be more red , and by use of spurs , as well as the beak , they can puff rip on unprotected pelt . They can bebullies . Hens can also adoptunpleasant behaviors . Sometimes , in a roosterless flock , a hen might adopt a cock ’s protective role , becoming aggressive to citizenry though docile with the other hens .
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In my last bunch of backyard hen , I had an flight artist , a homebody and a hen named Kristy , which you had to front at continuously or she would attack with nib , wings and claws every individual fourth dimension . A fox eat her for dinner party one night , and we did n’t mourn her . In retrospect , I wondered whether Kristy had constitute herself the nominal cock in the group and was just doing her job , protect her flock .
Defense # 3: Be On Guard
Know the signs : If a chicken lowers its head and sidles toward you , watch out ! Being attacked by a chicken might sound screaming to some — unless it happens to you . Jacob says that raised neck opening feather and wings pointed toward the earth and away from the body are Graeco-Roman attack signaling in strong-growing chickens . If not turned away , a chicken will flog its opponent and stand up very tall before kicking out to prosecute ramification spurs , pecking , rise at and spurring as they go .
There does n’t seem to be one foolproof way to conduct with strong-growing chickens . Some advocate bring in food as a distraction . This has never work for me , nor has kindness and sweet-scented - talk : Experiences with Mr. Peep and Kristy are evidence of this . Others suggest support yourself with your boot or a stick , which did have Mr. Peep to leave me alone , but it did n’t enervate Kristy in the least . In fact , some research indicates such methods can make the bird more aggressive because they view it as a challenge or menace .
Defense # 4: Go On The Offensive
Regardless of the method , establishing yourself at the top of the pecking gild seems to be the estimable way to deal with belligerent chicken . Perhaps the most humane way to do this is to show ascendance similarly to how you ’d train a wienerwurst .
For crybaby domination , at first sign of flack , accomplish down , grab the bird by the feet , twist it upside down — disregard the squawking — and tuck it under your weapon system like a football game . If it ’s clear-cut that you ’ll have this type of encounter , you could bear gloves and clothing you do n’t bear in mind bringing in impinging with chicken foot and feather . Then go about your stage business , holding it until it acknowledges your dominance by stop to struggle and roaring , which typically take less than a minute .
Once it does , release it , but watch out . At first , it might come justly back at you . Every metre it attacks , give it more of the same . Ultimately , the belligerent hoot might watch to leave behind you alone , though some just never give up .
Defense # 5: Remove The Threat
Finally , Jacob cite a doctoral thesis about the societal structures of birds , drop a line by Norwegian scientist Thorleif Schjelderup - Ebbe , a zoology student at the University of Oslo in 1921 , who coined the phrase “ pecking order . ”
Schjelderup - Ebbe indicated that pecking order relies on realisation , and chicken can agnize as many as 30 individuals . This means that even if your approach chicken learns to give you a full berth , do n’t count on other people receive the same level of respect . If you ’ve got a very aggressive bird , consider removing it from the slew . Options admit endue a ally who ’s up to the challenge of dealing with aggressive volaille behaviour or sending it to the stewpot .
Living in concern of attack from strong-growing chicken behavior is not a good option . If you have an aggressive chicken , do n’t institutionalise your Thomas Kid out to gather orchis or provender until they ’re honest-to-god enough to be the rife force . Show them how to do it , or get rid of the threat . tike have been blinded in Gallus gallus attack .
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If you must deal with an fast-growing chicken , do n’t expect it to apprise your office as a caretaker human or be moved by your form acts . Be on your guard at all times , establish humanistic dominance if possible , and if not , institutionalize that bird on its means .
Aggressive Chicken Behavior: Read Your Breed
Sometimes , we inherit our pile and take the commodity with the speculative . But if you have theleisure to choose , peruse breed descriptions to denigrate the possibility that you stop up with an attack chicken in your pot . In “ choose the Best Poultry Breed for Your Small Farm , ” The University of Maryland Extension advises deciding on your goal for raising volaille as a first step in notice a breed that is best for you , and nonaggressiveness is a factor to consider . Here are 12 common breeds and their basic temperaments :
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