Certain breeds (Deserve the Darwin award?)

[EdgeC]

Anyone notice certain breeds are really smart, while others are well... would be better off if they were a flower and could not move?

I have noticed this more with Easter Eggs/Green eggers. IS it normal for them to be suicidal/kill themselves? I have raised wydottes, barred rock, polish, silikie, astrolorp, rirs, ISA Reds and both types of easter egger (green and blue).

Out of all of these... the pretty egg ones seem to be the most dumb. I have had them fly into water troughs and drown. I also notice their genetics (as a babies) seems weaker, have had the most losses with them. I don't have these issues with the other breeds. Anyone else notice this, what breed?

I have only raised about 100ish chickens, so I am still a newb and this could just be a small sample size... but hot damn.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Must be in the breeding. My Easter eggers have been the ones most able to avoid predation. Intelligence in chickens is relevant to what you are considering to be intelligent behaviors.

If you are having trouble with a particular breed I would search out a different source with different lines. Some are more healthy than others. Since Easter eggers are technically a mixed breed it is hard to compare one to another.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I don't think these things are really about breed, they're more about "breeder." OE, EE is not a breed and there are plenty of people that think mixes/hybrids are actually stronger than purebreds. It's similar to the never ending related dog controversy. I've been doing this for so long that when I realize good health and longevity with a particular breeder, I stick with them.

 

[EdgeC]

Must be in the breeding. My Easter eggers have been the ones most able to avoid predation. Intelligence in chickens is relevant to what you are considering to be intelligent behaviors.

If you are having trouble with a particular breed I would search out a different source with different lines. Some are more healthy than others. Since Easter eggers are technically a mixed breed it is hard to compare one to another.

I don't think these things are really about breed, they're more about "breeder." OE, EE is not a breed and there are plenty of people that think mixes/hybrids are actually stronger than purebreds. It's similar to the never ending related dog controversy. I've been doing this for so long that when I realize good health and longevity with a particular breeder, I stick with them.

These make sense, I value self-sustainability. I free range mine, in a fruit tree orchard. As such, I value the intelligence of the ones most able to keep themselves out of trouble. As such, out of the hundreds of acres. These are the only ones I have had, no-life themselves by their own hands. Be it... jumping in the horses water and not being able to get out. I also see what you mean by breeding... I don't know much about the lines of my birds. Most were raised locally (I live in the middle of nowhere). As such, it may just be those specific birds.
You really feel like you have had the best experiences with these "mixed" birds? Any first hand experience?

 

[SandyRiverChick]

No I'm definitely not amongst those who think "mixes," are healthier than purebreds. Especially when it comes to dogs. I have purebred Leonbergers. My chickens are mostly purebreds too, but I have a few mixes: OE, EE. I get my chickens from Privett. They are a hatchery but I have very good luck with them. I can't point to a breed or a mix that I think is suicidal or stupid and mine do free-range on many acres as I live in the middle of nowhere (Mt. Hood,) also. Rather, I keep a screen on my open water rain barrel so that no one can accidentally drown so I guess I wouldn't know.

 

[EdgeC]

No I'm definitely not amongst those who think "mixes," are healthier than purebreds. Especially when it comes to dogs. I have purebred Leonbergers. My chickens are mostly purebreds too, but I have a few mixes: OE, EE. I get my chickens from Privett. They are a hatchery but I have very good luck with them. I can't point to a breed or a mix that I think is suicidal or stupid and mine do free-range on many acres as I live in the middle of nowhere (Mt. Hood,) also. Rather, I keep a screen on my open water rain barrel so that no one can accidentally drown so I guess I wouldn't know.

I would do this... if my property did not also have rivers/creeks. If they can't survive one foot of still water... they wont survive two feet of moving river water (deep, not across). (I live in Appalachia, close to Asheville N.C)

 

[HorseGirlAbby]

Most of my EEs and mixed breeds have been just as smart as the average chicken, except one. Her I call my "dumb blonde," because she's light brown and white, a gorgeous chicken, and as smart as a rock I swear if a hawk landed next to her she'd run up and see if it wanted to play. She's very friendly and sweet, so I tolerate her, though I wouldn't be surprised if she managed to commit suicide one day.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I would do this... if my property did not also have rivers/creeks. If they can't survive one foot of still water... they wont survive two feet of moving river water (deep, not across). (I live in Appalachia, close to Asheville N.C)

I live on the Sandy River. So I guess you just made me feel good that they're smart enough to not ride the rapids to a watery death. They hang on the bank.

 

[EdgeC]

I live on the Sandy River. So I guess you just made me feel good that they're smart enough to not ride the rapids to a watery death. They hang on the bank.
View attachment 3809498

Yeah same, honestly had zero issues with moving water. (Only issues with the standing water... some of which I couldn't cover if I wanted too)

 

[Ridgerunner]

there are plenty of people that think mixes/hybrids are actually stronger than purebreds.

Other than appearance I don't think breed means much of anything. What traits the breeder selects for when deciding which chickens get to breed means a lot more. If they know what they are doing the breeder decides which flocks lay well, how they typically behave, and how healthy they are regardless of breed. Breeds can have tendencies but only if the breeder selects for those. For example, Buff Orps have a reputation of going broody. If the breeder selects for hens that do not go broody within a very few generations you can have a flock where a hen going broody is pretty rare. If a breeder selects leghorns for going broody within a few generations you can have a flock of leghorns that have a lot of broody hens. The same goes for any trait the breed is supposed to have. If the breeder selects for it or against it makes the difference in what you see in a flock.

Hybrid vigor is a real thing in animals. Plants too. Too much inbreeding can cause issues with health, productivity, fertility, and other things. Genetic diversity is important in flock maintenance. That does not mean you need to constantly bring in new genetics from a different breed. You can typically keep replacement girls and boys from your flock for a few generations before inbreeding causes a problem. You can regain genetic diversity by bringing in a rooster of the same breed that has been genetically isolated for several generations from your flock. Spiral breeding is how many breeders maintain genetic diversity without bringing in new chickens.

The principle of hybrid vigor is real. There are different techniques to manage it.