Chicken Chasing Away Wild Birds

[SusanPC]

I'm new to backyard chickens, so I found the following behavior quite interesting from my Barred Plymouth Rock pullet - Lulu. I have a flock of 4 pullets, each a different breed - all between 10 & 11 weeks old. While foraging in the backyard about 20-30 feet away from their coop and run, a small bird flew down and started eating some chicken feed that they had scratched outside of their run. Lulu ran over to the bird and charged it (head down) to chase it away. When it flew to the fence, waited, and then landed somewhere else near the run, Lulu again charged the small bird away. She then proceeded to stand guard around the run/coop and also chased off a dove that came to see what goodies it could find. The other chickens happily continued their foraging away from all the action and eventually (once everyone gave up on trying to get some snacks), Lulu rejoined the flock. Does this mean that she is in charge of the flock? She has always been the bossy, pecky one, but it seemed to me that my Buff Orpington was in charge of the flock as she is always the one who decides where they are going to forage and what they are going to do. All the birds seem take their lead from her. Are the flock dynamics still working themselves out? Could I have a potential cockerel on my hands with my BPR? They all still exhibit pullet characteristics. Thanks for any of your own observations or insight. By the way, when my dachshund enters their run or tries to eat from their food, they don't seem to mind her being there - yet...

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Don't worry about it. All my girls do it too! One of my chickens is so smart that she waits for the robins to grab a worm and then she charges it, sometimes eating the worm too! It has nothing to do with gender or pecking order. It sure is funny to watch!

 

[Izzychicky]

My chickens do it to my EE looks like a hawk and it looks hilarious when she charges at the bird he neck stretched forward

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

I have only one chicken that chases off pigeons (all others ignore them). She was an only child and, due to a bad decision I made, had a bit of difficulty finding her place in the flock (she's fine now). I suspect that her chasing off pigeons was just her way of exercising dominance. She does the same thing to some degree to younger chickens.

 

[Irishsilk]

I could see my hens were in great excitement....all chasing one that had a sparrow in her mouth. I was horrified !!
They were all running and trying to grab the bird...with me chasing and screaming at them from behind.
All that was left of the poor little sparrow was its wing feathers. It upset me for ages knowing that my sweet hens weren't all that sweet after all.