Do chickens know their breed?

[farmer boy]

i don't think its color really it might and i could be wrong because with my birds i have all different colors barred rocks sorta have the same coloring as dorkings and they don't stay by each other and i have cross bred barred rocks and some are mostly dark grey then and the others are normal color and then i have 3 barred rocks that sleep away from the flock with 1 red hen and then 1 barred rock that sleep with my black australorps and i have a white crested black polish and she doesn't hang out with my black australorps and then i have a mottled houdan if you don't know what it is its like a bigger size polish and he is black and white and he hangs out with the cross bred barred rocks and sometimes my pure black birds and he doesn't look like them

 

[Maligator]

I went out today to take some pictures of my flock and here are two examples of my birds pairing up with their own kind.

Captain and Tennille (buff laced polish)


Roswell and ET (black silkies):



This was right when I walked into their run. My boys ran right to me but it took a while for the two black silkies to get over the clicking of the shutter.

 

[ChickenPalz]

Cute!love both breeds

 

[whitt910]

I have 30 chickens, 10 Rhode Island Reds, 10 Barred Rocks, and 10 Buff Orpington's, they were all shipped together and have been housed together from day one. I haven't noticed that they stick together by color or breed, they all intermingle on everything from eating, drinking, foraging, and roosting. Although I have the Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens book and they quoted a study done somewhere in Europe that suggest that they do forage and do other things by color and breed. So I am guessing that it just depends on your chickens, some do and some don't.

 

[Amastacia]

with my flock, i often have one of each kind hanging out, one BO, one BR, and one Isa Brown at a time. all mixed up. two of the Isa's tend to roost together at night, but that is the only consistency i have ever seen with mine. they have all lived together since they were a few days old.

 

[mamashomestead]

My lavender orpington chich stay together no matter what even their first time in the yard together yesturday

 

[AQHAchick22]

Mine all stick with their own...I was just thinking about how strange it is yesterday actually..

My 2 red sexlinks are always together, my two buff sebrights always are, and I have a single buff orpington and a single white leghorn and they are always together...I also have 27 chicks and I haven't really noticed it with them yet. They seem to pair up up though I also have a single EE and campine and they are always together...odd.

 

[annewandering]

Mine dont show that yet but they are only a week and a half old. I do notice they sound different. The brahmas make a trilling sound that is so cute! If they sound different maybe they hang with others that they 'understand' better?

 

[Chicks Galore3]

My chickens do it too! Especially my SLW. (that might be because nobody really likes them because they are kinda mean.) Now I feel sorry for my BR I got - she's is the only one!

 

[SD Bird Lady]

I think it mostly has to do with their personality. My Brahmas & BO's, all very laid back, stayed together while the California Whites & RIR tend to mingle closely together.