red jungle fowl chicks cause behavioral changes on dominique chicks

[centrarchid]

I am raising five red jungle fowl chicks with 13 American dominique chicks. All hatched same day. Normally, dominiques are calm. The jungle fowl chicks are much more flighty on their own. When placed in with dominiques, the latter are much more flighty. Anyone seen such a "bad apple" affect?

 

[Chickengal505]

hmmmmmm no maybe you should seperate them utill there grown and reintegrate them if its a "bad apple" type thing this may fix it. Think you have about 20 five year olds in a class room 10 of them are paranoid and frightened easly they all learn to be flighty, But you have 20 12 year olds and 10 of them are timid and scidish it doesnt affect the bold ones does it?

 

[centrarchid]

Dominiques are the big and bold kids in this case. Jungle fowl are the small timid ones.

 

[Chickengal505]

exactly my friend

who knows mabie a few of brave ones will turn of timid never know for shure

 

[sourland]

Chickens are flock animals. Survival is dependent upon reading the dynamics of the flock. Surrounded by flighty, over reactive birds (junglefowl) the calmer Dominiques become more flighty. The junglefowl have them in a state of high alert. As they mature I would expect that the temperments should even out somewhat.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
I wonder if the red jungle fowls hightened alert can enhance survival changes of dominiques in mxed flock free ranging under some predator pressure? From what I have seen, the dominiques simply react too slowly (flying into trees) when ground predators come through.