BYC Café

[igorsMistress]

Good morning cafe

Don't you have land race breeds?

Those are quite different. So are a lot of not hatchery breeds.

My hatchery RIR went broody last year. Surprised me, I've read that breed in general isn't particularly broody.

 

[igorsMistress]

Finally got caught up. Congrats on the new bages @DobieLover and @Bamabexchicks

 

[007Sean]

There are many papers on the net regarding genetic selection and the consequential results.
For example the choosing of individuals that show reduced fear responses to human presense in the belief that it would reduce aggresive behavior hasn't benn very successful. One of the reasons cited is as the less fearful offspring are repeatedly selected their was shown in some studies a measurable physical reduction in certain brain parts to do with the 'adventurousness' of the chicken and it's ability to solve new problems. In short the breeding programs produced less fearful but less 'intelligent' chickens. There's lots more which I will leave you to research if you're interested.
It is safe to assume that genetically driven behavior will apply in all circumstances. After all, if it's genetically coded one needs to change the code to change the behavior.
One very obvious demonstration of learn't behavior is the chickens willingness to sleep in coops.
Another is if a mother hen shows no fear of a particular predator the chicks will learn this from their mother.
There are many many more examples.

I'm not going to argue you with this statement. I have a pair of Red Goldens, that I hatched and handled everyday. They are so tame it's not normal. Their offspring are the same way, from birth, I don't have to handle them everyday, and they are even more tame than the parent birds. So don't know if you could call that a genetically transferred trait or a learned "instinctive' trait passed down from the parent stock. The parent stock I have had for 10 years now and they always have super tame chicks.
Most of my True pheasants are bat feces crazy, doesn't matter how much I handle them, they don't tame down much at all. I attribute that to the fact, most True pheasants haven't been domesticated as long as the Ruff pheasants.

I've ordered eggs from other breeders and the chicks from their parent stock were nowhere near as tame as mine. And they were harder to tame, haven't been able to pick them up, handle them in the same fashion as I can my stock. The 'tame' as I have be able to acheive with them is to eat out of my hand...otherwise they are very weary of my presence.

 

[DobieLover]

Finally got caught up. Congrats on the new bages @DobieLover and @Bamabexchicks

Thank you!

 

[007Sean]

Congratulations Beeca on your shiny new Friend badge.

 

[Shadrach]

I'm not going to argue you with this statement. I have a pair of Red Goldens, that I hatched and handled everyday. They are so tame it's not normal. Their offspring are the same way, from birth, I don't have to handle them everyday, and they are even more tame than the parent birds. So don't know if you could call that a genetically transferred trait or a learned "instinctive' trait passed down from the parent stock. The parent stock I have had for 10 years now and they always have super tame chicks.
Most of my True pheasants are bat feces crazy, doesn't matter how much I handle them, they don't tame down much at all. I attribute that to the fact, most True pheasants haven't been domesticated as long as the Ruff pheasants.

I've ordered eggs from other breeders and the chicks from their parent stock were nowhere near as tame as mine. And they were harder to tame, haven't been able to pick them up, handle them in the same fashion as I can my stock. The 'tame' as I have be able to acheive with them is to eat out of my hand...otherwise they are very weary of my presence.

It's an ongoing debate Sean. The more I read on the subject the less I know. The more I see of the behaviors here the stranger chicken behavior becomes.
There seems little doubt from more recent studies and from anecdotal evidence that chickens are extraordinarily adaptive creatures. I've often read that aggressive behavior cannot be modified for example but there are quite a few contributors here that have changed aggressive behavior to something more acceptable. This would not be possible if genetics completely dominated behavior.
I've had a couple of real horrors here. It took time and some unusual techniques but they turned out fine. Some of the progeny from the more human friendly parents were much more human wary than others.
I believe as behavioral studies outside the laboratory become more common we may all be surprised at what these creatures are capable of.
It wasn't that many years ago it was a common belief that due to birds small brain size it was not possible for them to have 'intelligence' as defined by human definition. The discovery that a birds neuron network works differently to humans and passes information at a much higher rate and is most easily explained by comparing a 1950s computer processor to a modern quad core, has forced a rethink.

 

[N F C]

Wow, an actual chicken discussion at the Cafe...love it! Interesting stuff.

Good morning, Cafe. The pot was empty when I got here so I brewed another.
Everyone have a great day!

Thanks Tonya! I'll grab a cup once the dental novocaine wears off. Your new badge looks great, you are a super greeter!

Good morning, Café, and welcome @agedog1.

Grandson's baseball team had their first baseball game of the season yesterday. They got thrashed. Game was stopped in the sixth inning 12 to 2. Apparently graduating 7 seniors last year has left a serious deficit. Grandson warned us that they were not good.

That's quite a change from last year Sour. Maybe once the team plays together longer the games will pick up. Seems early for bb but maybe it's because we are getting off & on snow flurries.

It's raining here at last!!

YAY, it's about time! Keep this witchdoctor in your pocket, maybe he can drum you up whatever you need

 

[N F C]

@A_Fowl_Guy can't leave you out of the Congratulations party...look at you with that sporty new badge!

 

[DobieLover]

Wow, an actual chicken discussion at the Cafe...love it! Interesting stuff.



Thanks Tonya! I'll grab a cup once the dental novocaine wears off. Your new badge looks great, you are a super greeter!



That's quite a change from last year Sour. Maybe once the team plays together longer the games will pick up. Seems early for bb but maybe it's because we are getting off & on snow flurries.



YAY, it's about time! Keep this witchdoctor in your pocket, maybe he can drum you up whatever you need View attachment 1723749

Thanks, Debby.

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

@A_Fowl_Guy can't leave you out of the Congratulations party...look at you with that sporty new badge!

Thank you! I’ve been busy with a niacin deficient duckling today haha!