Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good morning one and all!

83 and partly sunny.

Have a great day!

 

[bruceha2000]

She's certainly very protective and unfriendly with all the others.

Zorra was like that. Black Australorp, biggest bird in the flock but she ran midway in the pecking order .... until I gave her chicks to raise. She became the Hen from He11 if any of the other hens got near her babies. Even the 2 top of the flock Anconas would wait until she looked the other way before they would race behind her to get past. When she would take them to the favored "relaxation" spots, all the other hens would vacate to another place. Same with when she took them up to the roost. Always plenty of space around them.

She and Anais chased a full grown groundhog back to its burrow because it waddled maybe 15' from the chicks. I doubt it even knew or cared they were there. After she kicked the chicks to the curb she was back to midway in the pecking order.

 

[Ribh]

I was surprised how many people don't let their hens out to roam at all.

Yes ~ huge number of people keeping their chickens completely contained. I'm assuming predator problems.

 

[BDutch]

Yes ~ huge number of people keeping their chickens completely contained. I'm assuming predator problems.

Yes + having a nice garden and not wanting chickens in it to destroy the lawn and flower beds.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Yes + having a nice garden and not wanting chickens in it to destroy the lawn and flower beds.

I keep my chickens secured as I have a hawk that visits every so often and sits on the top of my chicken run.

That is the reason they only get out when I'm outside.

 

[Shadrach]

Zorra was like that. Black Australorp, biggest bird in the flock but she ran midway in the pecking order .... until I gave her chicks to raise. She became the Hen from He11 if any of the other hens got near her babies. Even the 2 top of the flock Anconas would wait until she looked the other way before they would race behind her to get past. When she would take them to the favored "relaxation" spots, all the other hens would vacate to another place. Same with when she took them up to the roost. Always plenty of space around them.

She and Anais chased a full grown groundhog back to its burrow because it waddled maybe 15' from the chicks. I doubt it even knew or cared they were there. After she kicked the chicks to the curb she was back to midway in the pecking order.

I've seen a few posts about hens and/or roosters being away from the group and having to go through the process of establishing their former position. It's something I've never observed be it that the chicken had been away due to sickness, maternity duties, or confinement for any reason. Much like your hen Zorra, they just drop right back in at the position they were at when they left.

Related to this is my obsevation that often the pecking order changes for individuals depending on what challenges/circumstances the group find themselves in. Individuals have different skill sets or duties.

As an example it seems to me and others that the hen second in the heirachy is resposible for keeping the other hens in line and first line of defense when intruders appear.
Again ime it's the junior rooster should there be one, who becomes responsible for chicks once their mother finishes teaching and protecting them.

(This might an explanation for what you are seeing @ManueB )

I don't claim that this responsibility is willingly taken on or has any kind of alturism attached to it, they just do it. I want to know why.

Say there is conscious choice involved. Would this mean an individual can refuse those duties and maintain the standing in the tribe?
There can be no doubt that chickens discipline one another. Watching chicks pullets and cockerels learning their place in the heirachy isn't done because the rest are just bullies. There's a purpose. There seem to be rules. Rules are structure and one the main function of rules is to produce a more cohesive and less violent society. Chickens, especially the hens, seem very good at this.

 

[Shadrach]

Yes ~ huge number of people keeping their chickens completely contained. I'm assuming predator problems.

It's already been an interesting poll.
For me at least it's gone some way to convincing me that the assumed standard and majority method of chicken keeping is not fully confined in a coop and run in a small back yard.
Reading about how the American backyard chicken model came about is interesting reading. I'll let you look for yourselves.
My suspicion is that as the movement got established more people came to view thier small tribes as pets more than livestock. As soon as any creature crosses the boundry of perception from livestock to pet, it's keeping and treament living conditions change. There is an strange inconsitancy here though. People whose living depends on the health and productivity one would have thought take greater care of their animals if only because of the financial investement they have made.

I hope people vote, lots of them. It is an important issue for us, BYC and of course chickens.

 

[Ribh]

I've seen a few posts about hens and/or roosters being away from the group and having to go through the process of establishing their former position. It's something I've never observed be it that the chicken had been away due to sickness, maternity duties, or confinement for any reason. Much like your hen Zorra, they just drop right back in at the position they were at when they left.

Related to this is my obsevation that often the pecking order changes for individuals depending on what challenges/circumstances the group find themselves in. Individuals have different skill sets or duties.

As an example it seems to me and others that the hen second in the heirachy is resposible for keeping the other hens in line and first line of defense when intruders appear.
Again ime it's the junior rooster should there be one, who becomes responsible for chicks once their mother finishes teaching and protecting them.

(This might an explanation for what you are seeing @ManueB )

I don't claim that this responsibility is willingly taken on or has any kind of alturism attached to it, they just do it. I want to know why.

Say there is conscious choice involved. Would this mean an individual can refuse those duties and maintain the standing in the tribe?
There can be no doubt that chickens discipline one another. Watching chicks pullets and cockerels learning their place in the heirachy isn't done because the rest are just bullies. There's a purpose. There seem to be rules. Rules are structure and one the main function of rules is to produce a more cohesive and less violent society. Chickens, especially the hens, seem very good at this.

Chickens also seem very good @ knowing how dangerous something is to the tribe. I've had multiple chickens out for fowl pox & reintegrated with no issues whatsoever. Other things have not been so easy. I wish I was better @ reading what goes on with my girls but I can only watch & speculate.

When I lost both senior hens within 24 hours the tribe seemed to know @ least 48 hours prior & I had a huge kerfuffle on my hands ~ which almost never happens with my girls, with everyone jockeying for their new position. When I lost Aoife, who was much further down the food chain, there was no upset @ all.

The Vorwerks do seem to take any opportunity to advance themselves but with Luna as lead hen they have really settled. As you know she is the calmest hen I've ever owned. Ha'penny is 2nd but she's as mad as she ever was.

 

[Shadrach]

I keep my chickens secured as I have a hawk that visits every so often and sits on the top of my chicken run.

That is the reason they only get out when I'm outside.

But, your lot do get out when you can be outside with them. Some of those who voted fully contained (the first option) never let their chickens out.

 

[Ribh]

It's already been an interesting poll.
For me at least it's gone some way to convincing me that the assumed standard and majority method of chicken keeping is not fully confined in a coop and run in a small back yard.
Reading about how the American backyard chicken model came about is interesting reading. I'll let you look for yourselves.
My suspicion is that as the movement got established more people came to view thier small tribes as pets more than livestock. As soon as any creature crosses the boundry of perception from livestock to pet, it's keeping and treament living conditions change. There is an strange inconsitancy here though. People whose living depends on the health and productivity one would have thought take greater care of their animals if only because of the financial investement they have made.

I hope people vote, lots of them. It is an important issue for us, BYC and of course chickens.

Yes ~ & opens a Pandora's box of associated questions, not least because when I was a child the 1/4 acre block was pretty standard throughout Australia & lots & lots of people kept chickens & grew their own vegetables. Now almost no~one does but those of us who do, do it differently. One of my neighbours has 2 bantams, but they are really children's pets. The other used to keep Leghorns for the eggs & she is fascinated with my lot who are mostly kept for their looks. I do love me a pretty chicken! Yes they lay up a storm when not broody but my keeping arrangements are very different to what I remember seeing as a child.