Are chickens.... racist?

[MochaDuck]

So we have a white bantam cockerel. He loves our other white silkie, but he picks on the other girls; especially the cuckoo marans. Is he just being a dominate rooster that has favorites and least favorites, or is he racist?
TiA

 

[Hobbits Mommie]

My black Australorp preferred my white mixed mutt. As far as I am aware, humans are the only species who suffer from racism.

 

[Acre4Me]

Race does not apply to chickens, btw. So they cannot be racist.

“Breedism” maybe....

 

[ColtHandorf]

I know I often see in mixed flocks of Society finches that pairs will often ignore to the point of not feeding offspring that are a different mutation than themselves. At night even though they are communal in shared nests you'll usually only find one mutation all grouped together. Even in mixed nest, the four chocolates will be touching, the five fawns, and then the two Inos. It's very interesting.

All that to say I have no idea if chickens experience things like that, but they do seem to pick out favorites and not so favorites.

 

[Bug n Flock]

Survival mechanism I'd think. 1 white bird in a sea of brown means the white bird may as well be named "Bait".

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Yes, birds of a feather flock together... AND if they see one that is completely different they will gang up and pick on it... usually, but not always.

But my guess, according to my experience is that your large fowl ladies will not willingly mate with him and his only alternative is to act like a Stew Pidasso as he will not call them to treats and such if he knows they aren't gonna give it up.

Given the choice... even my bantam ladies will choose a large fowl rooster genetics over their equal counterpart. They just deem him not worthy. The best chance for exception is when they were raised together and the bantam rooster got to assert his dominance from a MUCH younger age.

Silkies are some of my least favorite roosters, but all are individuals.

 

[GoatDragonFarms]

Cemani rooster loves his Cemani girls, and is absolutely crazy about the Australorp. Doesn't seem to try to reed with the Delaware as often.
Could be his "taste" runs toward the black hens, could be the delaware is hawk bait and so he invests more time and effort elsewhere.
Racist though? No.