- Apr 9, 2013
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I was just curious if anyone else has noticed that their birds of similar breeds/plumage tend to hang together.
In the previous years that I kept chickens, I purchased only one type of layer chicks - Red/Gold Sex-Links. After an almost 10 year hiatus from keeping chickens (lots of life changes), I decided to order chicks from several breeds and have a mixed flock. The chicks from the first purchase in 2011 consisted of: Gold Sex-Link, Welsummer, Australorp, and Easter Egger. I noticed that while the chicks did intermingle, they would often segregate (especially at "treat time") and break into groups - the Welsummers hung back together and the Sex-Links noticeably grouped together. I only ended up with one Australorp and one Easter Egger (thanks to a neighborhood dog), so these two "odd-balls" made their own little clique and were actually the top two dominants in the flock.
This spring I ordered a new batch of chicks: Gold Sex-Link, Australorp, Welsummer, Easter Egger, Delaware, Silver-Laced Wyandotte, and one lone Buff Orpington. The chicks are about a week and a half old and I'm noticing that the birds are forming loose groups once more with chicks of like colored feathering/down.
I did read that chickens have color receptor organization in their retina which greatly exceeds what is seen in most other retinas and certainly that in most mammalian retinas - including humans. (Joseph C. Corbo, M.D., Ph.D. - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100216101159.htm)
I was just wondering if chickens have such a developed sense of color variants if it is typical to be drawn to other birds with similar coloring? Interesting thought...
Charlcie
www.riopasodesign.com
In the previous years that I kept chickens, I purchased only one type of layer chicks - Red/Gold Sex-Links. After an almost 10 year hiatus from keeping chickens (lots of life changes), I decided to order chicks from several breeds and have a mixed flock. The chicks from the first purchase in 2011 consisted of: Gold Sex-Link, Welsummer, Australorp, and Easter Egger. I noticed that while the chicks did intermingle, they would often segregate (especially at "treat time") and break into groups - the Welsummers hung back together and the Sex-Links noticeably grouped together. I only ended up with one Australorp and one Easter Egger (thanks to a neighborhood dog), so these two "odd-balls" made their own little clique and were actually the top two dominants in the flock.
This spring I ordered a new batch of chicks: Gold Sex-Link, Australorp, Welsummer, Easter Egger, Delaware, Silver-Laced Wyandotte, and one lone Buff Orpington. The chicks are about a week and a half old and I'm noticing that the birds are forming loose groups once more with chicks of like colored feathering/down.
I did read that chickens have color receptor organization in their retina which greatly exceeds what is seen in most other retinas and certainly that in most mammalian retinas - including humans. (Joseph C. Corbo, M.D., Ph.D. - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100216101159.htm)
I was just wondering if chickens have such a developed sense of color variants if it is typical to be drawn to other birds with similar coloring? Interesting thought...
Charlcie
www.riopasodesign.com
