segregation

[zstewart123]

I don't know why, but my flock is segregated by species. I have 3 Barred Rocks, 2 Buff Orph's, 2 RIR's, and 1 speckled Sussex. The Barred Rocks are about a month older than the others and are 6 months old. As a whole, the younger ones hang out together but freq. just hang out with the same species. They all get along with each other great just prefer to be with others of the same race. Are my chickens racists? Any chicken sociologists out there? Are there chicken sociologist? Do I have too much time on my hands?

 

[cary 1973]

my chicks are the same 4 months old and hang out with color, i guess thats where they get the saying birds of a feather flock togeather.

 

[gardendufus]

It is obvious that in my small flock of 10, where I have 4 pairs of different breeds, and 2 births with no breedmate, that while they operate as one flock, they spend a significant amount of time with their breed mate. When they take naps, they frequently lay apart from the others, but with their breed mates, so I'm assuming there is a little breed favoritism going on.

ETA: Not 'births' .........birds. DUH

 

[DanEP]

You now it seems like the girls like to hang with their own when younger but mix more with age. I kind of wonder if the fact that in a mixed flock you have a few different things going on.
1. were they raised together from hatching and already know each other?
2. different breeds grow at different rates so there is a size difference?
3. Some breeds are more docile than others in general so there is a comfort zone in each little group.
4. Under a year old maturity levels change almost weekly. there is a big difference in behavior between a 16 week pullet and a 20 pol pullet's behavior.I wonder if its like 14 year olds don't hang out with 18 year olds
5.Pecking order doesn't seem to stabilize and settle down till everybody gets a little older and is always changing and the bottom chicken in the older group makes sure that everybody in the younger group knows she's over them so they avoid her.
6. Personality,every chicken is different and it seems like when younger they break into groups that match their personality best. but there is still a top dog even in these sub flocks.

I had a flock of about 40 hens and once they all reached about a year they kind of formed 2 groups that hung out together while free ranging. I noticed that they were a lot more mixed after that.I had two roosters and the white rocks harem was about 25 girls and the australorp rooster had about 15 but they were all mixed. the small group had most of the aussies, 2 buff orps, 3 barred rocks and 1 white rock. the girls kind of all mixed together as long as the roos didn't try to keep them apart. It also seems like once the pecking order stuff settles down they mix more. I'm growing out a few now that are mixed there are leghorns cherry eggers and ee's in this group. At 8 weeks they all split up by breed but now the cherry eggers and the leghorns are really hanging together with the ee's staying apart but the wl and ce are almost at point of lay at 18 weeks and I still have maybe 6 weeks to go with the ee's.I just wonder if the ee's will mix into the group with age.