/ Register

  1. If this is your first time on BYC, we suggest you start with one of these three options:
    Raising Chickens Chicken Coops Join BYC
    If you're already a member of our community, click here to login & click here to learn what's new!

Is it possible that my chickens remember each other?

Discussion in 'Chicken Behaviors and Egglaying' started by SillyJillie, Nov 1, 2016.

Most Liked Posts
  1. Nov 1, 2016 #1
    SillyJillie

    SillyJillie Out Of The Brooder

    34
    0
    34
    May 2, 2016
    Leicester, Massachusetts
    I had to send my rooster away for a couple months during the summer because my neighbor was annoyed. Now that the weather is cooler and everyone keeps their windows shut I've brought him home. I was expecting to quarentine him for a week to prevent any fighting, but it seems the hens may remember him and he the hens. Even the chickens (chicks) that I've added to my flock since his departure don't seem to mind his presence. It's like he never left at all! Is this normal? I did not think they would remember each other. Should I still seperate him tonight when there is no supervision?
     
  3. Nov 1, 2016 #2
    jjrj254

    jjrj254 Chillin' With My Peeps

    119
    10
    93
    Mar 29, 2013
    For me it has never been a problem introducing or reintroducing a rooster to hens. It's usually roosters that don't get along with each other. It could also depend on the breed.
     
  5. Nov 1, 2016 #3
    azygous

    azygous Chicken Obsessed

    9,505
    2,441
    411
    Dec 11, 2009
    Colorado Rockies
    Yes, chickens will remember one another. In fact, they store memories of faces, including humans and other animals for over a year.

    But this doesn't mean that a chicken returning to the flock after a period of time away will have a free ride. The pecking order rearranges after a chicken leaves, then again upon returning. There is sometimes conflict involved while it adjusts.
     
    2 people like this.
  7. Nov 2, 2016 #4
    chickens really

    chickens really Overrun With Chickens

    9,799
    1,911
    346
    Sep 8, 2015
    The Funny Farm....Alberta, Canada
    Yes, they remember each other...My one Pullet got caught up in the catching and removal of some Cockerels and ended up at a friends for over two weeks till I could go and pick her up...Her buddy bird was lost here without her...As soon as I put her back in the flock the two were clucking and inseparable....Then a month ago I got my Cockerel back or he was going to be Butchered..That was way back at the beginning of July that he left. The Pullets acted like her never left...He remembered how to get into the Coop went out to the run, sat on the roost...Came back outside and it has been great ever since...

    They remember...

    Cheers!.
     
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2016
  9. Nov 2, 2016 #5
    Wyatt0224

    Wyatt0224 Chillin' With My Peeps

    587
    32
    91
    Mar 1, 2016
    Westminster, Maryland
    One chicken can remember over 100 different faces. If they all remember him and remember his dominance, the pecking order might go back to its old order since he's the rooster.
     
  11. Nov 2, 2016 #6
    SillyJillie

    SillyJillie Out Of The Brooder

    34
    0
    34
    May 2, 2016
    Leicester, Massachusetts
    That is so awesome! I'm so excited to learn new things about chickens everyday! This is my favorite so far...
     

BackYard Chickens is proudly sponsored by