Landrace/adaptive breeding discussion

[LaurenRitz]

I have one girl that goes broody like clockwork, spring and fall. She's been a good mom. The chicks seem to have no problem with hatching in the winter. They just spend more time under Mama warming up.

I do choose which eggs they sit on, and now that I have the broody box I'll try to put them in there so they're a little safer.

 

[LaurenRitz]

Question. I have two, the Kraienkoppe girls, who are the smallest of my flock and also the best foragers.

I noticed early on that other birds would follow them around and take away anything they found. These two would abandon it and move on.

Now that they're adults (just over 6 months) and both laying, I notice another behavior that seems related.

Often they will be the first to run to the food, run to get treats, but they don't actually get anything because they hold back until the other birds get there. At which point the other birds drive them away.

Is this because of the flock dynamic and they're not going to eat before those higher in the pecking order? Is it because they don't trust their instincts and want someone else to try it first just in case it's not edible? Waiting for a rooster to tell them it's ok?

Something else?

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Question. I have two, the Kraienkoppe girls, who are the smallest of my flock and also the best foragers.

I noticed early on that other birds would follow them around and take away anything they found. These two would abandon it and move on.

Now that they're adults (just over 6 months) and both laying, I notice another behavior that seems related.

Often they will be the first to run to the food, run to get treats, but they don't actually get anything because they hold back until the other birds get there. At which point the other birds drive them away.

Is this because of the flock dynamic and they're not going to eat before those higher in the pecking order? Is it because they don't trust their instincts and want someone else to try it first just in case it's not edible? Waiting for a rooster to tell them it's ok?

Something else?

Whatever it is, can you try multiple places to feed them? I have three older and two younger, and the olders still try to resource hoard at times.

I wound up using three separate spots. The youngers are always able to find one for themselves.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Whatever it is, can you try multiple places to feed them? I have three older and two younger, and the olders still try to resource hoard at times.

I wound up using three separate spots. The youngers are always able to find one for themselves.

^^^ this.

Abundance is a social lubricant. Multiple roost areas, multiple feed locations, multiple water locations.

I feed and water my free range flock in multiple locations in part to keep aggressive birds from dominating the rest of the flock. Also eliminates single point failures.

 

[Molpet]

Whatever it is, can you try multiple places to feed them? I have three older and two younger, and the olders still try to resource hoard at times.

I wound up using three separate spots. The youngers are always able to find one for themselves.

I have had a few hens that would run from feeder to feeder chasing the others away. The bullies have full crops and still chase. They also don't want to let certain into the coop at night.
I took the bullies from 3 coops and stuck them in a 4th. Much more peaceful.

 

[Mrs. K]

I have had a few hens that would run from feeder to feeder chasing the others away. The bullies have full crops and still chase. They also don't want to let certain into the coop at night.

Not only do you need separate feeders, but the need to be placed so that a bird eating at one cannot be seen by a bird eating at another. This is where clutter really helps.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I have had a few hens that would run from feeder to feeder chasing the others away. The bullies have full crops and still chase. They also don't want to let certain into the coop at night…

Fortunately, they’re not that dedicated! And the spots are located at opposite ends of the yard. Even Trudy is finally figuring out that she’s better off staying with the pile of feed in front of her. Although she’s usually at the second, not first, feeder. Gotta get that sprint in.

And with the cold, they’re all inside their little coop at night. Slowly, slowly…

 

[LaurenRitz]

6 feeding stations for 33 birds, all out of sight of the others. I put out a bowl of eggs this morning and they were first there, well ahead of the others, but circled around the bowl rather than diving in and got chased off when the other birds arrived about a minute later.

It's happened before. I'm just not sure why.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

6 feeding stations for 33 birds, all out of sight of the others. I put out a bowl of eggs this morning and they were first there, well ahead of the others, but circled around the bowl rather than diving in and got chased off when the other birds arrived about a minute later.

It's happened before. I'm just not sure why.

That is odd. I can’t say I watch my flock eat very often aside from the time it takes to feed them but I have two hens who sleep rough and are so are always out before everyone else. They expect to eat first and they do but then they usually head off to forage after the others mob the bowl. They have formed their own little sub flock I suppose but I haven’t seen them getting chased off.

 

[kattabelly]

6 feeding stations for 33 birds, all out of sight of the others. I put out a bowl of eggs this morning and they were first there, well ahead of the others, but circled around the bowl rather than diving in and got chased off when the other birds arrived about a minute later.

It's happened before. I'm just not sure why.

Do they ever wander far enough from the others that you could try sneaking them something without any other birds noticing? It might be interesting to see how they act when there aren't any other birds coming to chase them off.