Do chickens know their breed?

[soldonold]

I have been pondering this myself, wondering how they know who's who. My 3 SLW are always together. They arrived as day-old chicks with 2 speckled sussex, and the 2 speckled sussex are inseparable. If they get separated, they call to each other until they are reunited. Even stranger, I got some blue, black and wheaten Ameraucanas in a group this year as day-old chicks. And I've noticed they are hanging out together by colors when I take them outside for an outing. I guess it's just one of those mysteries of life.

 

[ChicksandWeeds]

Mine don't do this so much. They stay with the other chickens they were raised with. You can always tell who was raised together (or quarantined together

) because they stay in those little groups. Granted, most of mine are mutts, so I don't know if that counts.

mine too -- 4 breeds raised together and all hang out together , the roosters had favorites not necessarily of their own kind - the buffs, 4 months younger ...still hang out mostly with their own kind, especially roosting, though finally they forage together more

 

[raisedinmaine]

Oddly enough, my 37 New Hampshire Red chicks group together in different "factions". It's very difficult to get my entire flock to stay together.

 

[Triple Willow]

I have one Australorp that has been anti-social from the beginning. She was hatched out with these birds but in the brooder she would always act like they embarassed her for some reason. lol She would usually stay at the other end away from them. They didn't pick on her, she just didn't like them. I call her "Mini-Me". haha

 

[gone to seed]

In nature if you stand out you are more easily picked out. My friends birds group as well except for the ri whose sister died.

 

[GFamily]

I have red and black sex links. When they are roaming the yard the blacks stay close together and the reds stay close together roaming in different parts of the yard. But, when they're in their run they all intermingle more.

 

[1QueenBee]

Maybe the reason chickens group together with others of similar coloring is it's a defence mechanism to help make it harder for predators to differentiate one single bird from the flock, like how zebras are stripped and when clustered together it's harder for one to be picked out from the herd? If the birds are all clustered together with similar coloring it is possible that it could create the illusion of 1 larger animal rather than several smaller animals bunched together. Just a thought to chew on.

Good thinking Red-tailed! We have plenty of predators around here...including lots of your kind and who have tried to get our chickens!! ;-} Mine are free-range and don't strictly hang out by color (they will all often hang out together), but they do primarily hang by color. When they roost however, it's whoever gets where first...except for my independent Silver Leghorn, Bonita - she has her spot and won't let just anybody roost by her!

 

[Cyrus83]

My orpingtons, buckeyes, and BSL all hang out together, I'm convinced they think they are higher class than my exotics. So I have one gang of 13 running around the yard and another of 10, and at night they sit on the opposite side of the coop.

 

[lindsay297]

I have loved reading through this. And yes, I have found the same thing. I have 7 red layers and they all hang together in pasture. My other 8 girls are all different. They seem to hang out in like colours......darker colours with other darker colours and lighter with lighter. On the roost they all have their spots and it seems as though they pair off. My 5 younger Orphingtons were hatched together and they do hang out kinda on their own but, i always thought that was just a age thing!!

 

[binza1979]

I have a VERY varied mixed flock. I have noticed that mine group together by brood batch more than anything. There are "cliques" within the brood batch and often it is by color since I don't have too many of the same breed at a time. I am all about variety in my flock. I think my only pairs are 2 black australourps, 2 easter eggers (they are never seen together), 2 RIR (often apart from each other even though brooded together), and 2 Russian Orloffs. My "birds of a feather" usually don't flock together.