Pairing Up

[crystalsc]

These are my first chickens. I have 4 barred rock pullets. Is it natural for chickens to pair up? The two ladies on the left seem to prefer each other and hang together a lot. You can see they even roost this way.

 

[wrathsfarm]

Yes, perfectly normal. It's also said to be good when buying chicks to at least get a pair of whatever breed your choosing for this same reason.

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

Perfectly normal for chickens to have buddies!

 

[Shadrach]

Yes it's normal. There is a lot of wisdom in the phrase "birds of a feather flock together."
If there are distinct differences in appearance within a group of chickens they will tend to group by who looks most similar.
There are other grouping sets. Related chickens is often a very strong group bond.

 

[crystalsc]

Yes, perfectly normal. It's also said to be good when buying chicks to at least get a pair of whatever breed your choosing for this same reason.

Thank you so much!

 

[crystalsc]

Yes it's normal. There is a lot of wisdom in the phrase "birds of a feather flock together."
If there are distinct differences in appearance within a group of chickens they will tend to group by who looks most similar.
There are other grouping sets. Related chickens is often a very strong group bond.

Thank you! They are all barred rocks. The only one displaying slight alpha behavior is one of the two laying eggs. So the two laying are the largest and on “opposite teams”. I wouldn’t have thought that was the way they’d team up. But the two on the right have the sweetest temperaments and the two on the left though sweet are a little more independent.

 

[Shadrach]

Thank you! They are all barred rocks. The only one displaying slight alpha behavior is one of the two laying eggs. So the two laying are the largest and on “opposite teams”. I wouldn’t have thought that was the way they’d team up. But the two on the right have the sweetest temperaments and the two on the left though sweet are a little more independent.

They do seem to form these bonds. Sometimes it takes ages of observing to attempt to understand why the bond exists.
I had an almost inconcievable part bonded pair; a Ex Battery Red Sex Link and a Marans/Crested Cream Legbar cross. One couldn't get much more different in appearance but let them out on to the land and the par would be off to every top foraging spot together. This was their bond, foraging and it kept them friends and often roosting together until the Ex Battery hen died.