Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[rural mouse]

Maybe a bit controversial but at this moment in time I believe (haven't read scientific articles yet) that the pecking order is a sign of a disfunctional group dynamic. Most of the time in my experience I witness the pecking order stuff happening around food related stuff. In most husbandry settings a single (or few) food source exist with a lot of food concentrated in that specific area. This while red junglefowl normally have the whole jungle floor as their food source. In the wild there is no need to stand super close to each other in order to be able to get food. Any treats that are found could more easily be eaten by themself or shared if wanted, cause bushes are more space makes it less easy to be found. I haven't tested this with chickens myself, but it does look like that if you free range your flock dynamic should look way more fluid and unclear.

This is not something I witnessed in just chickens. I also witness it in sheep. In the pastures they have literally grass everywhere, so good luck trying to find out which sheep are the dominant ones without looking at them for literal hours. When we have them in the barns around lambing time, even though they have enough different food sources, you will clearly see specific individuals ram others away to get to a specific food source.

Do others witness this difference as well?

You can see it in horses and in wild deer herds, particularly during the rut.

And taxes
My boys

Cheetah, gold penciled hamburg, age 4

Tuff, Cheetah's grandson by Nellie, brown leghorn, then one of my EEs (from In-law's flock, buff orp x EE), he's currently 2.

Hector, black australorp, age 3, most laid back roo

Whiskey, also mix from In-law's flock, also age 3, and current top roo. As a hormonal idiot (over a year, less than 18 months), he called the ladies away from sheltering under a bush when his hatch mates (one being Tuff's father/Cheetah's son) had a knock down drag out fight ranging across the yard towards the aforementioned bush. The 2 idiots paused, then went back to where it started and went at it again. That decided who was staying. He's since proven his worth again. I'm saving that story for another time.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Maybe a bit controversial but at this moment in time I believe (haven't read scientific articles yet) that the pecking order is a sign of a disfunctional group dynamic. Most of the time in my experience I witness the pecking order stuff happening around food related stuff. In most husbandry settings a single (or few) food source exist with a lot of food concentrated in that specific area. This while red junglefowl normally have the whole jungle floor as their food source. In the wild there is no need to stand super close to each other in order to be able to get food. Any treats that are found could more easily be eaten by themself or shared if wanted, cause bushes are more space makes it less easy to be found. I haven't tested this with chickens myself, but it does look like that if you free range your flock dynamic should look way more fluid and unclear.

This is not something I witnessed in just chickens. I also witness it in sheep. In the pastures they have literally grass everywhere, so good luck trying to find out which sheep are the dominant ones without looking at them for literal hours. When we have them in the barns around lambing time, even though they have enough different food sources, you will clearly see specific individuals ram others away to get to a specific food source.

Do others witness this difference as well?

Love this!

I did observe a non-resource-related peck a few days ago; two, in fact, and I'm still laughing. Buffy (BO) had torn her left earlobe on something, which I didn't realize until I saw Lil (EE), her bestie, gently grooming at the dried blood. Buffy tolerated four of these surgeries before quietly moving away.

Two days later, Trudy (hyper and wacko BR) tried to do the same, but not so gently. Buffy, the mildest chicken ever, smacked her with a firm peck on the back of her head, and then stared at her. About 30 seconds later, with Trudy still frozen in the stare-down, she leaned over and deliberately pecked again, same spot, and then resumed her stare. After another 30 seconds of staring, Buffy stalked away.

Trudy continued to stare at nothing at all for a bit longer, then studied the ground, and then finally edged away. The look of astonishment on her face was priceless.

 

[fluffycrow]

Maybe a bit controversial but at this moment in time I believe (haven't read scientific articles yet) that the pecking order is a sign of a disfunctional group dynamic. Most of the time in my experience I witness the pecking order stuff happening around food related stuff. In most husbandry settings a single (or few) food source exist with a lot of food concentrated in that specific area. This while red junglefowl normally have the whole jungle floor as their food source. In the wild there is no need to stand super close to each other in order to be able to get food. Any treats that are found could more easily be eaten by themself or shared if wanted, cause bushes are more space makes it less easy to be found. I haven't tested this with chickens myself, but it does look like that if you free range your flock dynamic should look way more fluid and unclear.

This is not something I witnessed in just chickens. I also witness it in sheep. In the pastures they have literally grass everywhere, so good luck trying to find out which sheep are the dominant ones without looking at them for literal hours. When we have them in the barns around lambing time, even though they have enough different food sources, you will clearly see specific individuals ram others away to get to a specific food source.

Do others witness this difference as well?

Shad has long theorised this, and my observations have led to similar conclusions as yours, and many others.

In the penned bantam group, I know the exact hierarchy. In the free range group, I can only somewhat, sort of, maybe, kind of try and guess. Back when there was peace in the land, I only knew the head hen. Even food disputes were so minor, and so uncommon, that I couldn’t tell. Now the hierarchy is somewhat visible when the group are eating scraps (and thus, are very close to eachother) and when the girls are laying. Still, I know quite little of where each girl is sitting. I know that the two senior hens are at the top, and that all the hens with Oriental Gamefowl and Brahma blood in them have very respectable positions.

There really doesn’t seem to be a reason to enforce a strict pecking order when each hen can do as she pleases, and remove herself from a less than ideal situation without sacrificing anything (food, for example).

A note about roosting. While Kolovos was alive, the hens and he himself enforced a very strict order, only the head hen was allowed right next to him, and only the seniors were close to him. Now the seniors sleep separately from all the roosters, while most junior hens sleep next to big Red, and one hen sleeps with the yearling boys.

As far as reprimanding young cockerels, there is none. I can’t remember of a single time where a senior Tsouloufati reprimanded a young cockerel, unless he was literally trying to mate her. The senior hens are far less lenient on young pullets

 

[SimpleJenn]

She has been given the six silkie eggs that did not fit in my incubators. They would have had to be tossed out, might as well give them a chance to be incubated.

 

[Shadrach]

yes I've thought about it, and decided against it. I don't want the pressure to post that comes with it. But maybe a thread devoted to the subject of roo personalities would work - if the hang 'em and flog 'em brigade could be excluded from it! My fuse can be a bit short with such posts - especially those prefaced with an admission that the writer doesn't actually have a roo

You're welcome to use this thread for the topic.
I think between us all we can fend off the kill the rooster brigade.

 

[Shadrach]

I can't imagine how many views it's had now!

After a thread gets to a million views the system stops showing anything in between. Two million was a year ago or more so maybe getting towards Three million now.

 

[Labsandchickens8]

It's a testament to how great this thread is. Thank you so much for it!

 

[HiEverybirdy]

I saw this for the first time yesterday; Ipo did it with Edfu. I wonder, is it a chicken equivalent of the foetal position?

I've only seen it when they trying to relax. Have been thinking it's Raisin's way to feel safe when she's in the mood for a nap.

Stilton does it to the girls at roost time. They'll spread out on the roost after a few minutes, but he likes to start the night with his head under another bird, as does Raisin.

One night, both he and Raisin had their heads hidden in Carrots' butt fluff, giving Carrots another reason to come vent on my shoulder the next day It's not easy being Carrots.

 

[Shadrach]

It's a testament to how great this thread is. Thank you so much for it!

No thanks required. I can assure you it was a purely selfish endevour when I started it.

 

[Skyeknight]

the walnut comb is the result of 1 gene for rose comb and 1 gene for pea comb.

I edited this because I realise I was wrong.

Rose and pea are on different alleles. So walnut is Rp/RP, rP/RP, RP/RP or RP/rp.

Anyways just casually spreading accidental misinformation in my very informative posts.