Tell Me About Your Loner Chicken

[SproutGirl]

We have a loner chicken named Penguin. She is an Ameraucana, and she always perfers to hang out by herself. She even expects to have her own special treat pile if we give out treats! I always used to feel sorry for her when she was a young chick, because she was obviously at the bottom of the pecking order, but now I kind of think she prefers it there because it means that none of the other birds want to be around her. Even the rooster doesn't seem to want to mount her or bring her bugs that he finds in the spring--she gets her own. I thought that when the winter came, she might get over her preference to roost alone at night, and prefer to body heat of the other hens. But there she is, even on sub-zero nights, fluffed-up all alone, while the other chickens huddle together on their own perch keeping warm. She does everything alone, and seems to be very happy. She has a great personality, and loves to greet her humans and dog at the fence when we go out into the backyard. I guess she's just a born loner! Does anyone else have a loner chicken?

 

[JennsPeeps]

We have a banty cochin we introduced to our standard chicks when they were about a month old. They were all the same size back then. Tribble, the banty, follows the bigger girls around the yard and wants to be near them, but doesn't intergrate with them. She, too, roosts alone.

We're getting 3 chicks next month are are going to see if she'll accept them. We're hopeful, as we've heard that cochins make good mamas. It would give her a job, make integrating the chicks easier, and give her a group to integrate into.

 

[Poppycock]

Our Silver Laced Wyandotte Lacie is kind of like that. She always holds back when I bring treats, and just kind of hangs out by herself. She never seems in a hurry to do anything. She does snuggle up with the others at roosting time, though. We always thought she was just kind of "slow."

 

[krcote]

Yes! Her name is JUDY-CHICKEN! My roo picks on her though. She is my favorite

 

[Buster]

I have a Speckled Sussex that hangs out by herself. She was the lone survivor of a failed hatch and was brooded by herself until she could go outside. She's always been a loner. She acted crazy most of the time when she was younger, leading to her being named "Neurotic".

 

[2468Chickensrgr8]

I have a black/white polish hen that all the other girls are soooo very jealous of because she's just soooo beautiful ....she gets extra attention...her own treat pile...etc etc....

 

[cmom]

I have one that tends to range in her own space away from the others.

 

[Debi214]

Quote:
Jenns - Can you post a picture of your birds together? I have a banty cochin that has grown up to be taller than my standard silver laced wyandottes. I would really appreciate it!

 

[Debi214]

I do have one that has always hung by herself. She hatched along with 7 others and they would all huddle as babies and she would be laying about 6 inches away from the others (you know the passed out baby chick look - LOL). Now she roosts far away from the others like they have some sort of disease and she is not about to catch it!

 

[JennsPeeps]

Here's Tribble (at bottom) with the standards when they were youngsters. We were told she was about 2 months old when we got her, making her 1 month older than the others:

I don't have a good pic uploaded of her size relative to them now. She's about the same size. They... aren't. hehe