Silence Is Not Golden Here

[MoparGirl89]

I didn't realize you could make chickens that friendly that they would lose their instinct to run/hide from a predator. Mine aren't bothered by my dogs or the outside cat but the second the neighbors dog barks everyone is on alert. If the duck starts quacking everyone hides it is a crazy sight. If she hadn't gone off one day I never would have realized we had a hawk circling our yard.

 

[Zinjifrah]

Well, to my amazement apparently there's still life in at least a couple of the Lavender Ameraucana eggs. After all the trouble I've had as a result of the heat here, and my AC going out on me while I was gone, I figured they were all cooked. However, tomorrow is day 21, and last night I took the tape off the egg that was broken when I set it, just in case....

And it's unzipping right now. Another egg has a pip.

 

[Redhead Rae]

Well, to my amazement apparently there's still life in at least a couple of the Lavender Ameraucana eggs. After all the trouble I've had as a result of the heat here, and my AC going out on me while I was gone, I figured they were all cooked. However, tomorrow is day 21, and last night I took the tape off the egg that was broken when I set it, just in case....

And it's unzipping right now. Another egg has a pip.

 

[Cyprus]

I didn't realize you could make chickens that friendly that they would lose their instinct to run/hide from a predator. Mine aren't bothered by my dogs or the outside cat but the second the neighbors dog barks everyone is on alert. If the duck starts quacking everyone hides it is a crazy sight. If she hadn't gone off one day I never would have realized we had a hawk circling our yard.

Yup. All of them were so stupid that I don't know how they didn't die from breaking their necks. I'm actually mad that my friend made them that stupid. It has caused me so much grief.

 

[Tesumph]

Why you shouldn't raise incredibly friendly chickens

Good points but I disagree. If people want pets then they should raise them as pets, but they should know that they obviously can’t free range or leave them without adequate protection in that case.

I think your post only applies to people who want flightier livestock birds so they can free range with minimal losses, which doesn’t apply to a lot of people with typical “backyard chickens.” Certainly no one with hand raised buff orpingtons.

 

[Zinjifrah]

Good points but I disagree. If people want pets then they should raise them as pets, but they should know that they obviously can’t free range or leave them without adequate protection in that case.

I think your post only applies to people who want flightier livestock birds so they can free range with minimal losses, which doesn’t apply to a lot of people with typical “backyard chickens.” Certainly no one with hand raised buff orpingtons.

My muttly chicks were pretty hands-off... but now that they're a few weeks old, they follow me everywhere. They're into everything I'm doing. I keep an eye on them, watch where I step, and they're fine. I'm happy to have them comfortable with being handled. They roam under, around, and over the top of my dogs when they're out there. But let any strange dog show up... and there are screams of alarm from every direction, with flying chickens headed into the run, into the coop, or - in the case of the chicks - on top of my feet. Apparently, I'm a mama hen, regardless of gender, and they view me as their protection. I don't think that making them into pets makes them less capable of identifying danger - it just means that they exclude some usual threats from what they consider dangerous. Like... my border collie mix.

Border Collies x Fowl is usually BAD, from everything I've gotten from people who have both.

Mouse x my EE's = Hilarity.

They were NOT raised as pets. They were raised hands-off, and I got them as well-grown pullets. The person who I got them from didn't have dogs, so they weren't used to them. But the first time Mouse ran through the yard, she had Snow right on her tail... I'm not sure if Snow thought Mouse's fluffy white butt was another chicken, or what, but Mouse tucked tail and RAN. Ever since then, every time she runs past, she has three EE's running with her, cackling gleefully. They have no fear of her, she has no aggression toward them.

 

[Cyprus]

Good points but I disagree. If people want pets then they should raise them as pets, but they should know that they obviously can’t free range or leave them without adequate protection in that case.

I think your post only applies to people who want flightier livestock birds so they can free range with minimal losses, which doesn’t apply to a lot of people with typical “backyard chickens.” Certainly no one with hand raised buff orpingtons.

The whole point of the post was to make people aware of the consequences of raising incredibly friendly chickens.
It wasn't targeted at certain situations. It is meant to be an educational resource.

 

[MoparGirl89]

My muttly chicks were pretty hands-off... but now that they're a few weeks old, they follow me everywhere. They're into everything I'm doing. I keep an eye on them, watch where I step, and they're fine. I'm happy to have them comfortable with being handled. They roam under, around, and over the top of my dogs when they're out there. But let any strange dog show up... and there are screams of alarm from every direction, with flying chickens headed into the run, into the coop, or - in the case of the chicks - on top of my feet. Apparently, I'm a mama hen, regardless of gender, and they view me as their protection. I don't think that making them into pets makes them less capable of identifying danger - it just means that they exclude some usual threats from what they consider dangerous. Like... my border collie mix.

Border Collies x Fowl is usually BAD, from everything I've gotten from people who have both.

Mouse x my EE's = Hilarity.

They were NOT raised as pets. They were raised hands-off, and I got them as well-grown pullets. The person who I got them from didn't have dogs, so they weren't used to them. But the first time Mouse ran through the yard, she had Snow right on her tail... I'm not sure if Snow thought Mouse's fluffy white butt was another chicken, or what, but Mouse tucked tail and RAN. Ever since then, every time she runs past, she has three EE's running with her, cackling gleefully. They have no fear of her, she has no aggression toward them.

My dogs are a full blood border collie and a border collie mix. Both are out with the flock all day and we have never had any issues... Aside from the drake chasing the dogs back to the porch. Our drake is a bit of a bully. Both our dogs know if they touch one feather on the birds they are in big trouble.

 

[Zinjifrah]

Two eggs unzipping, no other pips yet, but hatch day is tomorrow. I'm hoping for a couple more, but I won't hold my breath, considering all the complications that have happened.

 

[Tesumph]

The whole point of the post was to make people aware of the consequences of raising incredibly friendly chickens.
It wasn't targeted at certain situations. It is meant to be an educational resource.

Fair enough. I tend to think that if people aren’t prepared to lose a lot of birds, then they shouldn’t free range in the first place.