Following a Free-range Chicken from Roost in Morning to Roost at Night

[centrarchid]

Found deer carcass dogs are not monopolizing. Subject bird mostly after fat. His brother is going after muscle. Jack Sprat.

 

[centrarchid]

Seeing some crop distension. If fat energy will not be short.

 

[centrarchid]

It is starting to get boring. They are moving about very little today. They have barely gone 150' so far.

 

[centrarchid]

Birds moved a few feet off carcass into a location with more light. Birds orienting body to be perpendicular to incoming sunlight, presumably to aid with heat absorption. Many birds in other areas I can see doing similar. It is as if they are sunbathing while standing up. Feed intake rate reduced relative to what what going on about half an hour ago. They are approaching time where loafing is dominant activity.

 

[centrarchid]

Loafing site moved about 15 feet just to stay in the sun. They have been loafing for almost 2 hours.

 

[centrarchid]

Two loafing areas adopted to stay in sun. Slope increased exposure as well. Wind well blocked.
First location near gutter lost sun after about an hour because of multi-floral rose bush.

Second location was better and could have been adopted from the start if warmth only consideration.

 

[centrarchid]

Birds still loafing in the same location as last image. Some outright sleeping going on, not unlike catnaps. They appear to still be monitoring the songbird communications and open eyes when calls indicate possible trouble.

The are also producing sounds that are very similar to those produced by chicks under a broody hen. It appears to be an invitation to or interest in resting.

Everything they are doing appears to geared towards conserving energy.

 

[centrarchid]

Rough representation of data collected yesterday. Still trying to determine concise way to report results graphically. Loafing dominated morning activities where pecking / consumption activity was directed as material (water ice) not in one of the predetermined categories. Water intake by that means was spread out over time possibly as a means to reduce heat loss rate. Feeding on plant materials was generally coupled with movement between locations while consumption of deer carcass had birds in one location feeding for an extended period of time. Two bouts of consuming feed I thought was hidden largely bracked the midday loafing period where birds appeared to maximize solar gain. Consumption of feed I think is the fastest way to consume nutrient dense dry matter. In terms of volume, it may be that vegetable matter represents the majority of what the crop contains much of the day. One must remember the birds where expected to find most of their eats by foraging rather than going to feeding station for complete feed.

What is not shown yet is distance traveled for this day which was much less than on warmer days. This represents only one day during what I think is an acclimation period that follows an abrupt cool down.

X-axis represents time and y-axis represents number of pecks. Pecks are then broken down into what could be discerned (plant, animal, feed) or simply referred to as pecks because target not identified with confidence.

 

[Molpet]

Interesting,
I have snow cover and only the turkeys are out foraging .... mainly in the afternoon

 

[centrarchid]

Interesting,
I have snow cover and only the turkeys are out foraging .... mainly in the afternoon

If nothing else changed I bet all would start foraging even in morning.