So yesterday I processed our three cockerels leaving the ten pullets to rearrange the pecking order without them. The girls were pretty quiet that day but it was a strange day for all of us so I wasn't too surprised. But they've been quiet all day to day too, except for a couple of predator freak outs, they've been quiet as mice. I'm assuming that most of the noise coming from the flock was due to the raucous boys (all three of them started crowing at 8 weeks) and that now that they are gone, the girls are quieter. The boys were kind of obnoxious, far more active in establishing their pecking position in the flock than the girls are, but the girls do peck things out too, just not as much or as noisily.
But I'm curious what more experienced folks have to say, do you think the pullets are afraid now to make noise? From their point of view, three of the flock just vanished, or do they even realize it? Is this just the calm before the storm, and is there a major pecking order rearrangement coming with all the noise that will entail?
But I'm curious what more experienced folks have to say, do you think the pullets are afraid now to make noise? From their point of view, three of the flock just vanished, or do they even realize it? Is this just the calm before the storm, and is there a major pecking order rearrangement coming with all the noise that will entail?
