Do chickens know their breed?

[raisedinmaine]

I know this is off subject but I'm not getting a reply anywhere else...does anyone know what breed this lil guy is? She's either Golden Laced Wyandotte, Rhode Island Red, or Araucana, leaning away from RIR because of the stripes.

Araucanas have large ear tiffs sobi doubt that's it's breed. Most likely it's the Wyandotte, although the only picture I could find to cross reference was of a silver-laced.

 

[surlyoldjarhead]

I have a mixed flock of 4 Rhode Island Reds, 1 Bardrock, and 1 Golden sexlink. The one-offs came two weeks after the first group but they all stick together and keep a lookout for old Surly and his rake.

However, I have noticed the RIRs tend to stick together. The Bardrock is often singled out because she used to pick on everyone in the flock till they figured out her game and now she is the one that gets pecked when she gets to full of herself. So I would say “YES” they do seem to “know” at least that another chicken does not look like them and they tend to group together by breed.

 

[Buxton Ducks]

This is how evolution works! Ever heard of "birds of a feather stick together"? New species are created this way as similar animals group together. If anybody is familiar with Cesar Milan (the dog whisperer), he often comments how a pack of 30 dogs with split up in groups by breed.

 

[OldGuy43]

I find this fascinating, because we have been raising 5 Khaki Campbell ducklings and 5 Red Sex Link chicks together and they behave like one flock. The chicks just cuddle up with the ducklings at night.

 

[GardenerGal]

I ordered 30 chicks - 20 of one breed, and 5 each of two other breeds, and notice that while they all mix up when they're eating and drinking, etc., when they bed down for the night they do seem to snuggle with their same-breed buddies. But, I wonder whether it's because these hatchery chicks were incubated and hatched by breed, so when they pipped out of their eggs they spent the first day of their lives together before they were packed and shipped with chicks from the other breeds. They may well have bonded with each other at their hatch, and that's why they hang out together.

My adult chickens, though, aren't picky over who they mate with, as long as they have the right alpha stuff.

When it comes to breeding, I doubt very much that chickens chooses same-breed mates; they mate indiscriminately. This goes with the flow of evolution, which "dictates" that it's best to bring in fresh genes into your offspring rather than inbreeding to the point that deleterious recessive genes get brought out to be expressed.
This is true of any animal. Dog breeds will hang out with other dog breeds without discrimination. Ever see a huge St. Bernard play with a chihuahua? They "know" they're both dogs, and if it were physically possible, they would make puppies together. lol

 

[susanp970]

I wonder, Mine tend to form their own little clicks, in groups of 2 or three. When I buy I try to get even numbers. I have 4 Speckled Sussex and 8 Golden Laced Wyandottes. One of my Wyandottes sat for 30 days, so I bought her 4 Sussex chicks (just because of the character). But she takes good care of her adopted babies. She doesn't seem to notice or care about the difference.
The Sussex have such a great personality(which is why I got Sussex babies) the Wyandottes not so much, they seem kind of stand offish.
I also have a mix breed rooster who is just beautiful, I have some beautiful color going on.

 

[Hinotori]

I have a very racist silkie rooster. If you're not a silkie, you had better not be near his pen.

I like to have the silkies raise all the chicks. The rooster helps raise the chicks and care for them even after the mothers are done. He'll start chasing off the non-silkie chicks when they reach about 10 weeks. Silkie chicks he will continue to care for until they decide they are big birds and can take care of themselves.

 

[bathologist]

I agree with you. I have two turkey colored birds-they don't seem to fit any particular description of breed. They have white legs, red combs (one short,1 longer and flopped over), lay brown eggs, black-feathers with some brown and some white. I have two buff Orpingtons and 1 bantan buff Americana. They usually separate in the coop acccording to color.

 

[LaLa Chickie]

I have 2 light brahmas and a Bardrock that stick together as they were raised together, I have a bearded 13yr old Americana who is now befriended those 7month chicks and the 3yr old 2 Bardrocks and 1 Americana, they were raised together and they stick together, but they pick on the Americana...I just figured it was because they were nested and fed together for months before letting them out with the others...

 

[Cubzwin1908]

Mine not only hang with their "own" more but I swear I had one Rhode Island Red that died of a broken heart within two weeks of her ailing friend. Mary was very ill but hung on for several weeks - Rhoda was fine. She would come up to the back door and sit by Mary while she was isolated away from the rest of the flock just inside the garage. When Mary died, Rhoda went back to being one of the flock for about 10 days and then one morning I found her dead in the hen house. Maybe there was something wrong with her that I didn't see any signs of but I swear it was from missing her dear Mary.

Call me a sap, but I believe it. : )

Debbie Jennings
Merlin, OR