Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Shadrach]

Categorized as "exploratory"...Do they mean they were exploratory or they possibly were just misses?

They don't know. The assumption in other similar studies is that the chick is trying to pick the food up and eat it. But a chickens beak is equivalent to our hands and they make all sorts of judgments about the object they peck at without eating it. So, the first peck could well be establishing what the object is. Even with adult chickens if you provide them with something they are unfamiliar with, or they find something, they work out how they will categorize it by pecking at it. So every new object is a learning process.
My sister had a related problem with her two Silkies when they arrived. They had apparently been kept in a super clean broody coop without a mum as many breeders do. When they got to free range in her garden they ate all sorts of stuff they really shouldn't have eaten. One ate so much of a herb plant that she developed an impacted crop that was bad enough to require surgery. It's taken some time for them to realise that not everything is food and some food you can eat lots of and others not so much.
So, it seems at least some of adult pecking behaviour is learned from their mother. There is no logical reason to doubt this as all creatures are the same in this respect, but not many other creatures are 'born' in an incubator without parents.

 

[Meg-in-MT]

They don't know. The assumption in other similar studies is that the chick is trying to pick the food up and eat it. But a chickens beak is equivalent to our hands and they make all sorts of judgments about the object they peck at without eating it. So, the first peck could well be establishing what the object is. Even with adult chickens if you provide them with something they are unfamiliar with, or they find something, they work out how they will categorize it by pecking at it. So every new object is a learning process.
My sister had a related problem with her two Silkies when they arrived. They had apparently been kept in a super clean broody coop without a mum as many breeders do. When they got to free range in her garden they ate all sorts of stuff they really shouldn't have eaten. One ate so much of a herb plant that she developed an impacted crop that was bad enough to require surgery. It's taken some time for them to realise that not everything is food and some food you can eat lots of and others not so much.
So, it seems at least some of adult pecking behaviour is learned from their mother. There is no logical reason to doubt this as all creatures are the same in this respect, but not many other creatures are 'born' in an incubator without parents.

Ah, well, that does make sense. I've got a hen in a 3x6 ish wire cage at the moment and when I feed and water her I like to sit at the door and watch her. She does a couple light pecks and then a hard peck that sends food out of the bowl. She's quite fast so I can't exactly tell what is going on or which of the feed she bops with such gusto.

I don't plan on getting any more hatchery birds, as I'd much prefer having a hen raise chicks than me. They obviously do a much better job all around. I haven't had any issues with chick/ens getting impacted, but when I have chicks they go outside before the greenery is lush. Maybe that's why? I don't really know and hadn't given it a thought.

 

[Shadrach]

Ah, well, that does make sense. I've got a hen in a 3x6 ish wire cage at the moment and when I feed and water her I like to sit at the door and watch her. She does a couple light pecks and then a hard peck that sends food out of the bowl. She's quite fast so I can't exactly tell what is going on or which of the feed she bops with such gusto.

I don't plan on getting any more hatchery birds, as I'd much prefer having a hen raise chicks than me. They obviously do a much better job all around. I haven't had any issues with chick/ens getting impacted, but when I have chicks they go outside before the greenery is lush. Maybe that's why? I don't really know and hadn't given it a thought.

Even my sister acknowledges Silkies aren't that bright.

 

[mixedUPturk]

Shad i had a hard time with broody hens last year. Im gonna work on the issues this year but i specifically have broody types of birds cuz id love to delegate that job and let em take their breaks. This year ill share my sets as they come. Last year almost All of my hens tried to sit.

In one coop there were 3 (Svart Hona and 2 Cuckoo Marans) who sat within a few days of one another. They stole eggs from eachother and swaped nests more often than i could count. Well one hens clutch hatched and the other two decided since there were chicks now so they were done. They were excellent aunts but i had to bring the other eggs in. I snuck em out there after they hatched and those 3 hens ended up with like 2 incubation surrogates for around 7 chicks? I also gave them one who was like 2 wks older when they were like 4 wks old they did great for the troubles they faced and if i can get em all to do so well? i could delegate 1/4 of my chicken job.

In the other coop like 3 of 4 (Blue Laced Red Wyandottes) tried to sit but a snake discovered them my hens survived but the eggs were all either smashed in the struggle or just gone. I moved em to a new coop but they didnt try it again. One poor hen was scared witless and she got mean with me over her eggs for the first time.

Mostly i could walk up and pet each of the hens on the eggs, candle the eggs an all, just get a little grumbling from mom.

 

[mixedUPturk]

And yes that is all my chickens you know more than half my numbers are quail but there are only 14 year round chicken residents, 3 of those are roosters and 3 last years pullets.

The quail are the whole other sort hardly worth mentioning. I havent had a quail really try to brood. A button once pretended to sit but she didnt really. My plan with those buttons is to tryn get em to raise cots who might learn to sit but thats a long ways off and they didnt fare well over winter so ive only got one breeding pair going into this season.

My Hona are like a few generations from land race chickens. Theyre really wild and catching them without cooping them is next to impossible. Havent lost the first one to a predator *knock*knock*

 

[Kris5902]

There was a point when the meat tractor got far enough from the Barn, that Sammy and Barney could agree to just stare menacingly at each other from a distance if Sammy was out and Barney escaped while I was tending his group, as long as no one’s girlfriends started to roam too close to the the other guy... and yes it was always worse in the mornings

 

[Kris5902]

If there is ever a nest in my house it is your fault!with what has happened my wife has mentioned it several times.

Slippery slope Bob

Yeah right! It is OK, we all respect (actually admire) that you would lay down tile so that the chickens can come into the big coop. And don't worry, when you start spreading wood shavings over the dining room floor we will let you know you have gone too far. In my mind, an indoor next box like @Shadrach has in his kitchen is simply a sensible convenience. Like having running water rather than taking a bucket to the well. Eggs on hand in the kitchen is very useful.

Traditionally wood shavings were used in butcher shops on the floor to keep things clean and sanitary, so really it’s not that big a streach.

 

[micstrachan]

How's the run you built holding up?

It’s great! However, they don’t use the new, high roosts I have to duck under.

 

[MaryJanet]

Slippery slope Bob



Traditionally wood shavings were used in butcher shops on the floor to keep things clean and sanitary, so really it’s not that big a streach.

Especially on tile

 

[RoyalChick]

Slippery slope Bob



Traditionally wood shavings were used in butcher shops on the floor to keep things clean and sanitary, so really it’s not that big a streach.

Goodness you took me back. I am old enough to remember going with my mother to the butchers and standing on big black and white floor tiles covered in sawdust. I am pretty sure it was sawdust not shavings - it was thrown down to mop up drips of blood. Wow, hadn't thought about that in decades but the minute I read your post it was as vivid as if it were yesterday including the smell which was sort of clean and bloody at the same time!