LGBTQ+ Poultry Keepers

[TropicalChickies]

As I understand it, aggression is both genetic and learned with genes providing the foundation and environmental factors shaping the expression of the behaviour. So I do believe you can breed personality traits, to SOME degree in birds.

So... My two cents on this breeding for sweetness and cuddles thing is that these are traits that a lot of humans really enjoy, but is that the better thing for chickens as a species? I mean -- bear with me here -- breeding for roosters that give people hugs and hens that sit on our laps sort of assumes that we humans are going to be on top of the food chain forever. Either that's people like us, who care for and feed and shelter "our" birds while "giving" them forage and outdoor time in nature -- things they would have without us, btw. Or, that's the whole rotten spectacle of factory farms and battery cages.

My question is, what happens to the chicken (as a species) if humans have to go back to living in subsistence-seeking and self-sufficient clans and tribes, hunting and foraging, and can't keep chickens the ways we do now. BUT we've bred those very traits out of chickens in favor of cuddlers and huggers on the backyard homestead side, and birds that can't even walk on the factory side?

With the way humans are destroying the very ecology that sustains our way of life, the scenario I paint isn't unrealistic.

You might think with 35 billion chickens on the planet, they aren't in danger of extinction, but left to their own resources, I'd say at least 90 - 95% of them would die very quickly without human scheming, factory farms, hatcheries and so forth. And if the ones who remain are just clucking around looking for a human to hug, they will quickly end up in that hungry human's soup pot over the fire.

So... That's my long reason for being fine with the stand-offish and self-preserving chickens I meet and even hoping they pass on those traits. I'm not here forever. And neither is civilization as it crumbles now. I'd like to see chickens who can carry on without us -- they've been around a lot longer than we have.

Woo-hoo! Those weird giants are gone! Back to the jungle!

 

[TwoCrows]

So... My two cents on this breeding for sweetness and cuddles thing is that these are traits that a lot of humans really enjoy, but is that the better thing for chickens as a species? I mean -- bear with me here -- breeding for roosters that give people hugs and hens that sit on our laps sort of assumes that we humans are going to be on top of the food chain forever. Either that's people like us, who care for and feed and shelter "our" birds while "giving" them forage and outdoor time in nature -- things they would have without us, btw. Or, that's the whole rotten spectacle of factory farms and battery cages.

My question is, what happens to the chicken (as a species) if humans have to go back to living in subsistence-seeking and self-sufficient clans and tribes, hunting and foraging, and can't keep chickens the ways we do now. BUT we've bred those very traits out of chickens in favor of cuddlers and huggers on the backyard homestead side, and birds that can't even walk on the factory side?

With the way humans are destroying the very ecology that sustains our way of life, the scenario I paint isn't unrealistic.

You might think with 35 billion chickens on the planet, they aren't in danger of extinction, but left to their own resources, I'd say at least 90 - 95% of them would die very quickly without human scheming, factory farms, hatcheries and so forth. And if the ones who remain are just clucking around looking for a human to hug, they will quickly end up in that hungry human's soup pot over the fire.

So... That's my long reason for being fine with the stand-offish and self-preserving chickens I meet and even hoping they pass on those traits. I'm not here forever. And neither is civilization as it crumbles now. I'd like to see chickens who can carry on without us -- they've been around a lot longer than we have. View attachment 3603299
Woo-hoo! Those weird giants are gone! Back to the jungle!

I think it really depends on what you want them for and how they are kept. If they are going to be kept as roamers and foragers I think it's definitely in their interest to keep them pure to their traits for survival reasons. If you are keeping them as huggable pets or show birds, you definitely wouldn't want harsher traits or aggression. Just as people have bred dogs to be tiny sweet lap and sleeve dogs others have bred dogs to be larger, meaner and fighters. So everyone wants something else in birds and I think it's fun to try and tweek sweeter personalities into certain birds in our flocks. This said, humans have definitely altered the planet and so many species of creatures, I definitely don't think we should make huge changes to any creature just for our human interests. But playing around in our own flocks can't be too detrimental to anyone or thing.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

With the exception of truly aggressive hens (outside of brooding behaviors), I don't really care how skittish and standoffish my hens are. My roosters as well can be skittish, and most of them are. I just do not tolerate males that are more than willing to latch on to hands and kick at people's shins and faces. Skittish males and females seem more than capable of surviving amd reproducing here, while aggressive males spend so much time fighting the humans that they aren't paying attention to their hens

 

[fluffycrow]

So... My two cents on this breeding for sweetness and cuddles thing is that these are traits that a lot of humans really enjoy, but is that the better thing for chickens as a species? I mean -- bear with me here -- breeding for roosters that give people hugs and hens that sit on our laps sort of assumes that we humans are going to be on top of the food chain forever. Either that's people like us, who care for and feed and shelter "our" birds while "giving" them forage and outdoor time in nature -- things they would have without us, btw. Or, that's the whole rotten spectacle of factory farms and battery cages.

My question is, what happens to the chicken (as a species) if humans have to go back to living in subsistence-seeking and self-sufficient clans and tribes, hunting and foraging, and can't keep chickens the ways we do now. BUT we've bred those very traits out of chickens in favor of cuddlers and huggers on the backyard homestead side, and birds that can't even walk on the factory side?

With the way humans are destroying the very ecology that sustains our way of life, the scenario I paint isn't unrealistic.

You might think with 35 billion chickens on the planet, they aren't in danger of extinction, but left to their own resources, I'd say at least 90 - 95% of them would die very quickly without human scheming, factory farms, hatcheries and so forth. And if the ones who remain are just clucking around looking for a human to hug, they will quickly end up in that hungry human's soup pot over the fire.

So... That's my long reason for being fine with the stand-offish and self-preserving chickens I meet and even hoping they pass on those traits. I'm not here forever. And neither is civilization as it crumbles now. I'd like to see chickens who can carry on without us -- they've been around a lot longer than we have. View attachment 3603299
Woo-hoo! Those weird giants are gone! Back to the jungle!

This is a very interesting idea. Would chicken survive if they were to be left on their own accord? My observations have led me to believe the following. Long-term success requires three things. Being able to recognize and avoid predators, being able to find food, and being able to procreate. I have seen my brahmas struggling greatly with digging holes, probably because of the leg feathers. So they won't be as effective at foraging. Now, predator awareness. To a degree it's instinctual. I have never been present during a predator attack, so I do not know how each of my breeds handle it. What I can tell you, is that as chicks, my least "industrialized" chicks are the ones who dart to the nearest tree the quickest. Now, we have reproduction. That's a hard one to answer. Some people believe that in a natural setting even some of the most junglefowl removed birds might go broody and rear. Unfortunately I've had no luck there. I will end this by saying that my production breeds like the ISA brown do very well on free range only when they've had ample exposure from an early age, and continue to have exposure

 

[KikiDeAnime]

Picking up my coop ready ducklings tomorrow after work!!! I'll be sure to share photos once they're settled in.
They're Muscovy ducklings too!!

 

[fluffycrow]

Picking up my coop ready ducklings tomorrow after work!!! I'll be sure to share photos once they're settled in.
They're Muscovy ducklings too!!

Shhhhh! Don't tell Wind!

 

[fluffycrow]

Mom and babies are tucked in bed

! And yes, I DID check this time Wind, and they DO in fact climb up there on their own

 

[Canadian Wind]

Shhhhh! Don't tell Wind!

TOO LATE!

 

[fluffycrow]

TOO LATE!

CRAP

 

[TwoCrows]

Mom and babies are tucked in bedView attachment 3603340! And yes, I DID check this time Wind, and they DO in fact climb up there on their own

Super sweet!