Chicken Behavior

[Coyoteowl]

I had a strange experience and was wondering if I actually understand. I had lost an entire flock to a bobcat a couple of years back. My new flock has had no problems, so far. Yesterday I saw the silhouette of a cats head at the top of my chicken's playpen (2 acres ) My 4 ISA Browns also spotted it. I could not tell if it was a stray cat, wildcat, or a bobcat, the ISA Browns all stretched up their necks looking at the animal, started an odd honking, then all gathered and began advancing towards the critter. I called them and they ignored me, very unusual since they ALWAYS come running when I call (took me 2 years of daily work to get them trained) the animal ran away as I moved towards it so I never got to see what it was. As soon as it left the 4 ISA browns came back and headed to their coop. So do some chicken breeds mob predators? Or were my birds just dumb.

 

[Shadrach]

I had a strange experience and was wondering if I actually understand. I had lost an entire flock to a bobcat a couple of years back. My new flock has had no problems, so far. Yesterday I saw the silhouette of a cats head at the top of my chicken's playpen (2 acres ) My 4 ISA Browns also spotted it. I could not tell if it was a stray cat, wildcat, or a bobcat, the ISA Browns all stretched up their necks looking at the animal, started an odd honking, then all gathered and began advancing towards the critter. I called them and they ignored me, very unusual since they ALWAYS come running when I call (took me 2 years of daily work to get them trained) the animal ran away as I moved towards it so I never got to see what it was. As soon as it left the 4 ISA browns came back and headed to their coop. So do some chicken breeds mob predators? Or were my birds just dumb.

Yes some chickens will mob a predator. It seems to happen when a predator has made an error in their mode of attack. Normally the predator attack is too swift for a concerted response from the chickens, but should say a predator be seen up a tree I've had chickens group around the bottom of the tree and shout the odds at the beleaguered creature.

 

[SamLockwood]

My mixed flock regularly mobs hawks, even if they get surprised. Most of them will go to cover then 6 to 12 will approach wherever the hawk is roosting making a racket.

 

[Penpal]

SamLockwood, what breed of chickens do you have?

 

[SamLockwood]

SamLockwood, what breed of chickens do you have?

At the moment, the hens are:

• 1 ancient speckled sussex (10 to 12 years old, still manages to lay eggs).
• 1 that I'm not sure what she is, some sort of sex link with reddish laced feathers and lays chocolate brown eggs.
• 4 crested cream legbars.
• 6 olive eggers (2 with cream legbar genes, 3 that look like cucko maran / ameraucana mixes, and one that's some sort of blue maran mix).
• 2 mixes I hatched from the adults: one is a speckled sussex / blue cuckoo maran and the other is an F2 olive egger (from the OE roo and one of the legbar-based OE hens) that are coming on

For roosters:

• 2 blue copper marans.
• 1 blue cuckoo maran.
• 1 olive egger.
• 1 crested cream legbar.

I've also got 15 pearl guinea fowl. The guineas are the most likely to "mob" a predator, but often times the chickens will lead or join the mobs.

So far, it's two of the OE's that are most likely to do this: the blue maran mix OE hen ("Black Phyllis") and the OE rooster ("Claudius"). Curiously, neither one is at the top of the pecking order.

 

[Coyoteowl]

SamLockwood, what breed of chickens do you have?

I have 4 ISA Browns (the Mob), one lonely California tan, and one lonely brown leghorn

 

[McChooky]

At the moment, the hens are:

• 1 ancient speckled sussex (10 to 12 years old, still manages to lay eggs).
• 1 that I'm not sure what she is, some sort of sex link with reddish laced feathers and lays chocolate brown eggs.
• 4 crested cream legbars.
• 6 olive eggers (2 with cream legbar genes, 3 that look like cucko maran / ameraucana mixes, and one that's some sort of blue maran mix).
• 2 mixes I hatched from the adults: one is a speckled sussex / blue cuckoo maran and the other is an F2 olive egger (from the OE roo and one of the legbar-based OE hens) that are coming on

For roosters:

• 2 blue copper marans.
• 1 blue cuckoo maran.
• 1 olive egger.
• 1 crested cream legbar.

I've also got 15 pearl guinea fowl. The guineas are the most likely to "mob" a predator, but often times the chickens will lead or join the mobs.
View attachment 3722496
So far, it's two of the OE's that are most likely to do this: the blue maran mix OE hen ("Black Phyllis") and the OE rooster ("Claudius"). Curiously, neither one is at the top of the pecking order.

View attachment 3722497
View attachment 3722498

I love the barred rooster! He's gorgeous!