Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Mother of Chaos]

Interesting discussion!

I certainly don’t have a ton of space, but it’s plenty for five girls, including access to most of our small city backyard.

The three older girls (Hen Day is Jan 14!) are definitely higher up than than the not-so-Littles, who are due to start laying as soon as daylight lengthens, but they all generally get along. I assume that the head girl is the Buff Orp, not because she dominates the feeder and other resources, but because she enforces peace in the flock when anyone does get fractious. And the others seem to regard her this way, wanting to snuggle up during dust baths and so on.

(Being an Orp, it would be pretty entertaining watching her racing to try to get first dibs on a treat!)

So yes, there’s a hierarchy, but it’s not an obnoxious, pecking and squawking one, which I think to a large extent is due to plenty of space. And no RIRs.

 

[BDutch]

It's been 2 years for me keeping chickens -- the first 6 months don't count because they were growing up.

So in 18 months I haven't observed any hierarchy among my chickens yet. No pecking order. No leaders, no followers. If there is one, it changes hourly.

I've done some research into how this is possibly the case and the answer that I have had to conclude is.. space. They have 24 acres to use. They use 6 of those acres. Mostly in the spring and summer but they go far and wide. Their hen house that locks up at night for them is 18 feet X 16 feet - with 60 feet of roosting space (for 50ish birds). I have 5 360 degree feeders.

No one fights over food. No one pecks anyone. No one fights at all. I just don't have fights. The most I get are little neck flares from the baby cockerel who is a spare -- I have 3 older Cockerels who have their little harems and are quite content and chill.

I do not, and let me be very clear here, I do not have a 'head' hen. I never have. No single one of my chickens bosses anyone around, no one "gets first pickings" if I have treats. No one pushes anyone else out of the way if I drop ONE grape. Whoever got to it first gets it. No one steals. No one angles or pushes.

I've purposefully tried to observe this. And I do not.

I just.. cannot possibly have been that "lucky" to have either bought or hatched (because I have done both, from multiple hatcheries and my own chicken's eggs) just "perfectly behaved" chickens.

It's the space. Pecking order and hierarchy is something confined chickens do, and we just love projecting that onto everything and everyone.

You have lots of everything. Do you have lots of chickens too? How many? Are they all the same age? What breeds?
Maybe there are too many for a pecking order. The chickens cant figure out where to begin.

 

[fuzzi]

Another OEGB started laying today!

The larger brown egg was laid by a Sussex pullet.

 

[Shadrach]

Two hours today. It stayed dry and didn't freeze overnight.
Wondering how @Perris got on with the storm. Looking at recent tracking maps it looks like the coastline of South Wales got a hammering.

They were waiting at the gate when I arrived. They came out to eat and a bit of a forage in the extended run. I didn't let them onto the field because a dog was loose on the road at the bottom of the field. They stayed out for an hour or so then the wind picked up again and the went back to the coop extension.

 

[fuzzi]

I really like that sunset composition.

 

[Shadrach]

I bought a few food bits and pieces for Christmas. Most of what I bought was organic, including a jar of organic mincemeat. The cake and the other few bits I made for Christmas day with the family came out okay but my first attempt at puff pastry went Pete Tong, mainly because the water wasn't cold enough. This left me with a rather expensive jar of organic mincemeat that's been eyeing me up every time I open the food cupboard.

We did have shop bought mince pies as backup for Christmas, but I wont eat them, way too sweet usually and they've got lots of chemicals in them.
Yesterday I had a head fit and decided to have another go at making puff pastry. It looked a lot more promising than the last lot so I went for the mince pies.
I made six, gave two to my neighbor and started on the remaining four this evening. Not bad considering I don't feature on Master chef's hopeful list.
Bases were still a bit soggy and the crusts not quite as airy as they should be.
I made my own brandy butter to go with them.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Another OEGB started laying today!
View attachment 4280381
The larger brown egg was laid by a Sussex pullet.

Imma show the Sussex egg to Tessa! I think she needs inspiration.

 

[Perris]

Wondering how @Perris got on with the storm.

It wasn't too bad here; lots of detritus on the roads but nothing blocked or blown over. I suspect all the less-than-sturdy stuff came down in the several named storms that crashed through earlier in 2025.

 

[Perris]

Recent discussions about aggression and hierarchy prompted an idea I would like to explore. Your thoughts sought.

Some bird species are well known for their youngsters going through a phase wherein they practice to develop their motor skills - peregrine falcons, gulls, corvids for example.

Might some of the sort of behaviour that gets young roos a bad name (during what some of us call the jerk phase in a cockerel's life) otherwise be seen as them practicing and developing the skills they will need to protect the flock? Play fighting with each other (when there are more than 1 present) to prepare them for fighting for real when a predator appears? How else could they learn how to fight but with each other? Are we misreading an instinct to protect and defend as aggression?

 

[rural mouse]

Recent discussions about aggression and hierarchy prompted an idea I would like to explore. Your thoughts sought.

Some bird species are well known for their youngsters going through a phase wherein they practice to develop their motor skills - peregrine falcons, gulls, corvids for example.

Might some of the sort of behaviour that gets young roos a bad name (during what some of us call the jerk phase in a cockerel's life) otherwise be seen as them practicing and developing the skills they will need to protect the flock? Play fighting with each other (when there are more than 1 present) to prepare them for fighting for real when a predator appears? How else could they learn how to fight but with each other? Are we misreading an instinct to protect and defend as aggression?

Interesting thought. Hmmmmore observation...