I Feel Dumb - Chicken Behavior

[lpyrbby]

I just got some new birds on Saturday so they're still in the introduction pen. I was told they're all pullets/hens (6 months) but the guy didn't know much about them. And me, being a noob too, it was a case of the blind leading the blind lol. Anyway.

I have two videos. The first is of the largest black bird who is VERY chatty. She's got the largest comb/wattle set of all of them. I'm thinking she's an Australorp (white feet bottoms). Is this chatter like a "warning" chatter or something else?

And then the last video. There's what looks to be a gold laced Wyandotte. I'm hoping she's a she and not a he. She paces the introduction pen with Ringo, one of my existing birds. Is this a pecking order thing? An interest in mating? Or is she a he and they're working on challenging each other through the pens? I've only seen these two do this, but I'm not out there all the time either.

 

[AustralorpsAU]

Hi. I think Betty is an Australorp and mine do the exact same thing. I think it is when they are annoyed at you

 

[lpyrbby]

Hi. I think Betty is an Australorp and mine do the exact same thing. I think it is when they are annoyed at you

She talks ALL THE TIME. If I annoy her that much, I'm in trouble lol. I liken her to a child when you take their bottle away and they weren't done. Feed them again and all is quiet again LOL

 

[AustralorpsAU]

She talks ALL THE TIME. If I annoy her that much, I'm in trouble lol. I liken her to a child when you take their bottle away and they weren't done. Feed them again and all is quiet again LOL

Haha. That's about right. Mine don't do it all the time. When mine are laying and i intrude on them they make that noise.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Australorps are a chatty breed and are good for talking to. You gold laced Wyandotte is standing up to the rooster, she's probably the dominant hen in the pen. Both are hens.

 

[lpyrbby]

Australorps are a chatty breed and are good for talking to. You gold laced Wyandotte is standing up to the rooster, she's probably the dominant hen in the pen. Both are hens.

Thanks for the input Glad to hear another vote on them being ladies *phew*

We're working on getting some kennel panels locally so we can actually create an outside area for them to wander and integrate while we're out with them. Hopefully we can get that within the week and make plans to let them out together by August. For the most part, they've settled down with the others nearby, and the new flock is twice the size (numbers wise) of my existing birds. I'm hoping this goes well enough when we try to integrate.

I'm starting to wonder if I should have named Black Betty "Chatty Cathy" instead LOL

 

[Peeps61]

I have three chicks right now - Easter Eggers. One is a brownish pullet and the other two are "twins" - silverish in color and all of them are very pretty. They are about10 weeks old at this point. When I come out to check on the birds, or feed and water them, the brown one runs back and forth along the run in the small "integration" coop, and the other two cluck madly. When I sit down to visit, the brown one will come to the wire and "talk" to me - very interested in me and in my movements, although she is wary of being touched. The silvers stay back and watch. I'll allow them out to free range with the flock for the first time this weekend as they are finally big enough to blend in and can get away from the bigger birds if necessary. I'll be curious to see how she acts with no barrier between us!

 

[lpyrbby]

I have three chicks right now - Easter Eggers. One is a brownish pullet and the other two are "twins" - silverish in color and all of them are very pretty. They are about10 weeks old at this point. When I come out to check on the birds, or feed and water them, the brown one runs back and forth along the run in the small "integration" coop, and the other two cluck madly. When I sit down to visit, the brown one will come to the wire and "talk" to me - very interested in me and in my movements, although she is wary of being touched. The silvers stay back and watch. I'll allow them out to free range with the flock for the first time this weekend as they are finally big enough to blend in and can get away from the bigger birds if necessary. I'll be curious to see how she acts with no barrier between us!

With my first 4, they were in a 6x3x2 pen in the backyard and they would gladly eat from my hand, but resisted being pet. A couple of weeks later, I finally got up the courage to let them out in the back yard and watched them really bloom! Being mindful of your movements and not forcing yourself on them seems to help things along.

The new birds are in an 8x3x3 pen and are cramped. It's also killing me to just resign myself to interacting with them outside of the pen. I can't wait to get a larger run area for them to come and start interacting more and realize I'm a friend and not foe. I need chicken selfies with the noobies

 

[Peeps61]

I am fortunate in that I live on 10 acres, so we have plenty of room for them to poke about and find good things to eat. I lose a few here and there to predation, but for the most part, they hang around the barn and stay under cover or close to cover. The three chicks have been out in the smaller coop for several weeks now. When they were first put out, my younger hens in the other flock tried to "get" them, but couldn't, of course. They really don't pay much attention to them now, so hopefully the transition will be easy. New birds always get bullied a bit until they find their places in the pecking order. I'll have to take some pictures of them. They really are pretty chicks! I was surprised at how beautifully they feathered out.