constructing a single chicken family unit for porch

[centrarchid]

And what bug isn't tasty to a hen?

Scott

Several kinds of beetles (most with red on them but some with bright yellow like some of the cucumber beetles), several kinds of bugs (most with red on them), and velvet ants. Some caterpillars with spines / hairs seem to be ignored as well. With the exception of the velvet ants, most of the red insects are associated with milkweed around here. Box-elder bugs which are periodically abundant may be getting their nastiness elsewhere. Hen with chicks makes a particular sound when such are encountered that I thinks indicates disgust to chicks. Chicks seem to take suggestion by mom seriously.

 

[centrarchid]

PERSISTANT COOPERS HAWK PROBLEMS


Coopers hawks are moving big time and caused front porch flock some stress even with me around. A Coopers landed about 15 feet up in black walnut behind house where front porch flock was loafing. Ralph started cackling and Brownies juveniles ran up almost under his skirt. Ralph was making lots of racket as he had stare down with hawk that was intent on the juveniles. Brownie was there but not seem to interest hawk. Local Coopers do not waste time with such and probably have a better handle on the risk of going after juveniles with adults around. The migrant Coopers did take out a one to the neighbors pullets while neighbor watched. Those birds are in a juvenile only flock and walk about under much more open conditions than any of my birds do.

 

[centrarchid]

BROWNIE STILL CLUCKING?


Early yesterday morning one of the cockerels wandered off with Ralph in pursuit of insects. At same time Brownie went down to garage out of earshot to garage where she and other four offspring got into BOSS that Trueman spilled out on ground. Cockerel realized he was separated and began giving the distressed but now very deep cheeping sound which brought Brownie back into his direction clucking resulting in them reuniting. She was again clucking at end of day. Other hens down in cockyard with similar aged broods stopped clucking long ago and do not associate with their young nearly as much. The broods in cockyard are also more prone to bust up during the day while broods centered around front porch have been more cohesive. Cockyard birds get more grain in a manner that gets all birds excited which means to me they are more hungry than the front porch flock birds. Front porch birds numbering only seven range over an area of about 3 acres that has patches of abundant insects and quality plant forages while the cockyard birds numbering about 60 free-range birds have at most only about 2 acres and they have decimated the large insect forages and have a smaller amount of tender legumes to consume. Cover patches are also very different. Front porch flock has many dense clumps of vegetation plus vehicles to hide or loaf in while the cockyard birds have only one large plant cover patch they have largely chewed up and the pen area where brood fowl and stags are held. Interestingly, the front porch flock is much more reactive to hawks than the cockyard birds. Even an American Kestrel scares the front porch flock while the cockyard birds barley look up when a Coopers Hawk flies over. With respect to hawk traffic, the front porch flock is between the cockyard birds and where the hawks are targeting wild prey. Another interesting thing to note is the two main groups of chickens do not seem to communicate about hawks even though I can here both groups clearly. Alternatively, alarms concerning ground predators, when heard which is not much lately, communicated between flocks.


HEN WITH ONE 12-WEEK OLD STAG OFFSPRING STILL STANDS UP FOR HIM

I have a group of 16 week old juveniles to east of cockyard that butts up to range of front porch flock although no overlap currently. Occasionally, a game hen and her single 12-week old stag offspring sneak down into partially fenced in area of the older juveniles to have a go at latters feeding station that is also shared with the American Dominique Flock. The game hen routinely gets into fights with the Dominique hens over access as the game hen has to cross the dom territory to get at the feeding station. Most of the time the gamehen goes alone but occasionally her offspring goes along. The day before yesterday he went by his self and was chased back to the cockyard pens pretty roughly by the leader (also a game stag) of the older flock. Yesterday he went back down with his mother where the older stag came at him again but the younger stag's mother intervened and briefly fought and whipped the older stag allowing her boy free access to the feeding station, When his mother is about, the younger stag outranks any of the older juvenile flock members but when she is absent they kick his butt, She even stands guard allowing him to eat after she has had her fill.

 

[centrarchid]

HAWKING FOR CRANE FLIES

Each evening about this time of year many of my chickens move into areas of yard and pasture to take advantage of the emergence of adult crane flies which are very abundant. The birds spread out a little and start walking through looking for targets of opportunity. Most of the crane flies are detected because they flying through the chickens field of view. Once a chicken gets into an area with lots of flies it tends to work an area going back and forth catching "drift". The drift is actually insects that move through an area being monitored by the predator (chicken). The manner of feeding is referred to as hawking with is similar to what flycatchers do except the chickens do not usually fly. The chickens do catch many of their victims that are flying which evident video below. Reaction / detection distance can be as much as ten feet. Larger prey under similar conditions can justify or motivate flight. Grasshoppers a good 50 to 100 times larger than the crane flies are big enough for flight after prey by these chickens. Some of the game hens will fly 50 feet after a large grasshopper. The mother of the juveniles (we call Brownie) can be heard clucking which is for relatively old offspring now exceeding 10 weeks post-hatch.

See link to video.

 

[centrarchid]

FRONT PORCH FLOCK HAWKING AS SEEN FROM ACROSS GULLY

They form c-shape as they go up hill. They talk to each other as they go. Brownie is off to right.

Hen below still defends her male offspring next to her.



Same stag from different aspect. He still tweets but she no longer clucks. He is just over half her weight.



Sallie with most recent brood. Yes she still lives. Her new tail is coming in fast.

 

[scottcaddy]

FRONT PORCH FLOCK HAWKING AS SEEN FROM ACROSS GULLY

They form c-shape as they go up hill. They talk to each other as they go. Brownie is off to right.

Hen below still defends her male offspring next to her.



Same stag from different aspect. He still tweets but she no longer clucks. He is just over half her weight.



Sallie with most recent brood. Yes she still lives. Her new tail is coming in fast.

It's good to see Sallie is 'Still' alive, it's been a while for an update on her?!

Scott

 

[centrarchid]

She has been pressed into service as a broody to support a line breeding effort. One more year and she will be retired and brought back into the front porch flock fold. I would not be surprised it she were around providing insight and performing as an ambassador well into the 2020's.

 

[centrarchid]

TEMPERATURES DROPPING CAUSING CHANGES IN RANGING HABITS


Over last couple days the temperature has dropped and wind has picked up. Front porch flock has adjusted by staying in areas that are less exposed to wind. When loafing, they have changed from lying down in shade to locations in full sun although with protection from wind. Additionally locations are also dark relative to bulk of landscape. Temperatures are still in lower 60's F yet they are already seeking out microhabitats to conserve energy. They are investing more in this than the pasture flocks in part because the front porch flock is more constrained energetically where they must acquire almost their intake through foraging while the pasture flocks get anywhere from 1/3 to 2/3's of their intake from feeding stations. When it gets really cold even the pasture birds will start seeking warmer locations to loaf but they will not likely have a range encompassing as many options as the front porch flock has. The birds are impressive in their ability to locate thermally less stressful locations when they have the option. The adults are handily better at it than juveniles and Brownie is seeing to it her juvenile offspring find best places to loaf. Ralph has been less diligent in finding optimal loafing areas, he seems more interested in staying where he can track activities of other flocks.

 

[scottcaddy]

TEMPERATURES DROPPING CAUSING CHANGES IN RANGING HABITS


Over last couple days the temperature has dropped and wind has picked up. Front porch flock has adjusted by staying in areas that are less exposed to wind. When loafing, they have changed from lying down in shade to locations in full sun although with protection from wind. Additionally locations are also dark relative to bulk of landscape. Temperatures are still in lower 60's F yet they are already seeking out microhabitats to conserve energy. They are investing more in this than the pasture flocks in part because the front porch flock is more constrained energetically where they must acquire almost their intake through foraging while the pasture flocks get anywhere from 1/3 to 2/3's of their intake from feeding stations. When it gets really cold even the pasture birds will start seeking warmer locations to loaf but they will not likely have a range encompassing as many options as the front porch flock has. The birds are impressive in their ability to locate thermally less stressful locations when they have the option. The adults are handily better at it than juveniles and Brownie is seeing to it her juvenile offspring find best places to loaf. Ralph has been less diligent in finding optimal loafing areas, he seems more interested in staying where he can track activities of other flocks.

Still finding your birds and their movements very interesting.

Scott

 

[centrarchid]

BROWNIE IS STILL CLUCKING WHEN OFFSPRING ARE 11 WEEKS POST-HATCH


This approaching record. Previous broods produced by Brownie were weaned at about 5 weeks. Three other gamehens currently with chicks are also staying with them for longer than they did with earlier broods this season. Sallies (Brownies mother) has brood about 8 weeks old and another pullet has a single 13+ week old juvenile.

I very much wander what physiological mechanism(s) is involved that allows such plasticity?