Are Wyandotte Chickens Aggressive or Friendly?

When looking for the perfect breeds of eye-catching chickens to add to your backyard flock, you need to consider how they fit into the coop and lifestyle. 

Are these delightful birds right for you?

Key Takeaway:

Wyandotte roosters are sometimes human aggressive, but these calm birds are usually quiet and aloof. A Wyandotte chicken will quickly rise to the top of the pecking order. They do not tolerate bullying from other breeds, so you must keep an eye on their socialization into the flock. 

Keep reading to learn more about these amazing birds’ personalities, how they get along with other breeds of chickens, and how to prevent and stop bullying. 

are wyandotte chickens aggressive

What Is a Wyandotte’s Personality Like?

This American breed comes in a huge variety of colors, but their personalities are less diverse. 

The Wyandotte breed has an aggressive side compared to the average chicken. 

Each hen and rooster has a wide variety of personalities, though. 

Further Reading: Can you tell Wyandotte chicken sex by looking at the feathers?

For example, if you have a flock of them, you might find one or two aggressive toward you, while the rest are aloof, friendly, or docile chickens.

In any case, an aggressive, robust chicken is more likely in a Wyandotte rooster than in a hen.

However, this is still something to remember when deciding if this dual-purpose chicken breed is right for your farm. 

If you have young children who visit, whether your own or a neighbor’s, you will want a friendlier breed of rooster. 

As a chicken owner, you’re responsible for what they do to visitors. 

Even if your hens and roosters are not aggressive, they will not be the friendliest either, but don’t let this deter you. 

They are not a skittish American chicken breed who will avoid human contact. 

Carry treats with you, and they will be very interested in what you do. 

Wyandotte chickens are a great bird for beginners.

Like many other chickens, they enjoy scratching in the dirt and searching for bugs and other food. 

Instead of always keeping them in the coop, let them free range, even if this is only for small amounts of time. 

This helps keep them healthy and active.  

Keep an eye on them, though, as their appearance of aloofness while foraging can leave them susceptible to predator attacks. 

Do Wyandottes Get Along With Other Chickens?

This breed of chicken is often quiet, reserved, and aloof.

This is part of why it’s such a popular variety of chicken. 

They do not usually mix with other breeds, preferring to stay with their kind. 

Within their breed, they tend to hang together instead of being alone.

Their usual quiet and gentle nature might mean other aggressive birds attempt to pick on them, but this is where their aggressive nature comes into play. 

Wyandottes do not tolerate bullies and will put them in their place. 

This feisty breed often ends up at the top of the pecking order without much effort.

Are Wyandottes Bullies?

Because of their aloof temperament, Wyandottes usually stick to their breed and stay away from other breeds in your flock. 

However, being aloof doesn’t mean they’re submissive. 

These backyard chickens will not tolerate being bullied and will put a stop to it immediately. 

With the potential for aggressiveness, Wyandotte chickens will sometimes bully other chickens.

Wyandottes will typically be toward the top of the pecking order, a rather complex relationship structure. 

To be at the top, a hen must be dominant and sometimes aggressive to rise the ranks. 

A chicken will challenge other hens to secure their spot, but aggressive behavior will stop afterward.

On the other hand, bullying happens regularly without the goal of social climbing. 

Bullying is also directed at one or two hens long term, rather than just the next chicken in the pecking order. 

The only issue is when they go broody; they do get a little cranky.

Further Reading: Wyandotte Chicken Broodiness

How To Help Wyandottes Get Along With Other Birds

There are a few main causes when you notice your chickens bullying other docile birds.

  • Not enough space
  • Illness
  • Boredom
  • Stress

 If your Wyandottes are bullying other hens, identify if one of these reasons is to blame. 

Not Enough Space

The most likely cause of bullying is too little space per chicken. 

During the summer, active chickens need to spend time outside to have enough space. 

During the dead of winter, though, your hens will be stuck together inside the coop. 

Each chicken needs at least 4′ square feet inside the coop and 8′ square feet in the run. 

Overcrowding will cause stress, aggressive behaviors, and bullying. 

If your chickens do not have enough space, add more space to their living quarters, move some to another coop, or get rid of a few. 

Illness

When a hen is sick, the other chickens will instinctively know and kick her out of the flock for their health and safety.  

If you notice one particular hen who seems to be the main target for bullying, check her for signs of common chicken disease, illness, or parasites. 

Treat any issues you find. 

One option is to keep her isolated from the rest of the flock while she recovers, but this can cause problems integrating her back into the flock later. 

If you separate the targets of bullying, integration in the spring is easier if you have a batch of chicks coming. 

The baby chicks automatically end up at the bottom of the pecking order.

Further Reading: Wyandotte chicken growth rates (with charts)

Keep your coop clean and ensure adequate coop ventilation to lower the risk of illness. 

Also, provide fresh water and lots of calcium in their feed.

Boredom

In addition to overcrowding during the brutal winter, being shut inside during cold months also leads to boredom. 

They have nothing to entertain themselves with, so instead, they pick on each other.  

Find ways to entertain them. 

Encourage them to go outside for a little bit each day by putting bedding or food out. 

Add toys inside for them to play with. 

Round fruits and vegetables to peck at, treats, and flock blocks are great options. 

Stress

Like humans and many other animals, stress will cause behavioral problems in chickens.

Potential stressors include changes in flock members, feed, accommodations, and anything else disruptive to their daily routine. 

Naturally, predators or potential threats also cause stress.

To stop bullying caused by stress, identify what the stressor is. 

Figure out a way to reduce the stress, if possible. 

If not, there are ways to discourage bullying behaviors.

Other Ways to Stop Bullies

Sometimes hens are bullies for no discernible reason.

When this happens, it creates negative associations with their behavior. 

As a backyard chicken keeper, this requires a lot of time spent with your entire flock.

One option is to spray them with water whenever you notice bullying behavior. 

Another is to rattle a can filled with pebbles, corn kernels, or other small objects. 

Hens dislike this noise, so they’ll stop bullying the hen to figure out what is causing the noise. 

Pinless peepers are a product put on top of a beak to prevent them from seeing directly ahead. 

This makes it hard to pick at other hens’ feathers. 

If nothing has worked, the final option is to temporarily take the aggressive hen away from the flock. 

After a few days or a week away, the pecking order will be reset. 

When the bully is reintegrated, she has to work her way back up. 

More reading: Are Wyandotte Chickens Heat Tolerant?

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Author

Growing up amidst the sprawling farms of the South, Wesley developed a profound connection with farm animals from a young age. His childhood experiences instilled in him a deep respect for sustainable and humane farming practices. Today, through Farmpertise.com, Wesley shares his rich knowledge, aiming to inspire and educate others about the joys and intricacies of rural life.

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