Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[micstrachan]

Is it a matter of looking alike, or is it a matter of being raised together? I think it's fairly common for the same-appearance ones to also be same-breed, same-age, and raised together. It could be hard to sort out which of those points is actually more important to the chickens.

If someone got 1 each of several breeds, the same mix each year, I wonder if they would tend to stick with their yearmates or their breedmates. (If someone's flock does have this composition, I'd be quite interested in knowing how they interact.)

I also wonder if chicks raised by a hen might want to hang out with chickens that look like that hen, regardless of whether she was their biological mother or just raised them.

I’m only in my sixth year of keeping chickens, all hatchery stock females in enclosed run except for supervised free range time, however. I also keep a mixed breed flock and have only had a couple repeat breeds. So far, mine tend to group more by age.

 

[GregnLety]

She protects the young and new chickens from the older bossy hens thus altering the pecking order. Our dominant rooster keeps the younger roosters in line though and to an extent he keeps the dogs in line especially our smaller hyper dogs. Other than our husky our big dogs don't give a flip about the chickens.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

In
Interesting take here. I wonder if missing a learning opportunity window shuts the door on learning that skill completely or just makes it more difficult to learn the skill. Or even the desire (or maybe instinct in chickens?) to learn the skill.

My hatchery chicks also “bathe” in the shavings. Once when I dumped a bag of sand on the ground (to lay brick) and the pullets (my first little flock ever… four little hatchery chicks raised by me) immediately laid down into it and started flinging it everywhere. I think it’s more instinct than learned behavior. Maybe Shad’s comets and links have it partially bred out of them.

Edited to add, since I’ve been reading more if the discussion. Maybe it’s a combination of breeding and environment while developing. Can they never learn the behavior? Will they ever want to learn the behavior? This will be interesting to watch.

One if my current young hens, a hatchery black australorp, dust bathes just fine, but doesn’t shake the dust out, so post bath she walks around looking like she has a saggy diaper with dust all over her back.

With humans, once a window to learn shuts, it can't be reopened. I can't remember many of the details at all (it's been a really long time since I read about it), but there was a girl that was taken in by CPS that had never learned how to speak, and by the time she was taken, she was too old to ever learn. Her brain physically just could not learn.

I'll try to find more information if someone is interested

 

[RoyalChick]

Can't help but to share Ace's first crow here. He was 18 weeks old yesterday. It's an outstanding first crow if I do say so myself!

So great! A real barnyard sound!

 

[LaFleche]

Can't help but to share Ace's first crow here. He was 18 weeks old yesterday. It's an outstanding first crow if I do say so myself!

Nice tone for a first crow!

 

[TropicalBabies]

Please will you id this breed?

I laugh because @cfonts is my island neighbor. Kauai is loaded with wild feral chickens everywhere- and I mean everywhere!
I have been reading along hoping environment would be considered in this discussion about proper chickens.
More later. I'll continue my reading.

Flock of ferals w/ main guy being a dropped off (at a young age) domestic roo

***chicks on bottom left cinnamon brood by cinnamon mother dropped too. Obviously bead by Mr Biggles. She was a constant broody. None of his or hers survived. Both were excellent chickens. Watched the show for years b4 a stray dog pack started picking off the generations b4 we could get it contained.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Morning Ex batt first cup of coffee

 

[Sally PB]

Napoleon LOOOOOVES to hang out with the hens in the morning during egg laying, singing along

DL, he sounds like a squeaky toy!

My dog came over to see what was going on when I played that video.

 

[Solanacae]

My hatchery chicks also “bathe” in the shavings. Once when I dumped a bag of sand on the ground (to lay brick) and the pullets (my first little flock ever… four little hatchery chicks raised by me) immediately laid down into it and started flinging it everywhere. I think it’s more instinct than learned behavior. Maybe Shad’s comets and links have it partially bred out of them.

Edited to add, since I’ve been reading more if the discussion. Maybe it’s a combination of breeding and environment while developing. Can they never learn the behavior? Will they ever want to learn the behavior? This will be interesting to watch.

I have had chicks from a feed store, from a local breeder, and raised by a broody. They all instinctively dust bathed in the shaving of their brooder, or in the case of the broody-raised, outside in the dirt.

I would think that the ex batt’s probably had the same instinct as chicks, but the behavior was suppressed due to lack of availability. If they are in cages or crowded situations, then they can’t/won’t dust bathe. When one of my hens settles down to dust bathe, she doesn’t like to be crowded by others, and won’t do it if I’m moving around the run or if there are other stressors around.

If they are still adjusting to a new environment (which takes time) and if they are stressed by poor health or overcrowding, then I would conjecture there may still be some mental pressure on them that would continue to repress dust bathing. I’m curious to see if they pick up (or rediscover?) the behavior over time.

 

[Shadrach]

Here. I'll donate this in your behalf. A video of Sir Fat Mouth ought to be good for every off topic you posted with a good lot left in the bank for future meandering.

Napoleon LOOOOOVES to hang out with the hens in the morning during egg laying, singing along and climbing in the nest boxes cooing his little head off to them.

I actually cringe a little when I read "I was lovin' on my chickens". Uh... what?

You and me both.