Why do they do this

[Booswalia]

These two are always together. They almost panic if they can't see each other. Now they're in the nest together. My poor little White Rock doesn't have anyone to pal with. She's always off by herself.

 

[Msbear]

"Birds of a feather REALLY DO stick together"

My rosecomb hen raised a bantam cochin along with her chicks.. then, one day, the cochin cockerel was banished from the flock.

I also had a cochin raise 4 cochin chicks as well as 2 oegb. When they got a bit older, the two oegb went off on their own and the bantam cochins.. stayed with the cochins.

Typically, if you have a mixed flock, they will all be "mixed" together.

But, if you have just one or two that are different, the different ones will buddy up.

 

[danischi24]

They are just best friends. It happens with birds as well as people. Get another hen as a friend for your rock.

 

[tellynpeep]

I find that if they were raised together for the fist couple of months, they tend to stick together. I have one little girl whose sibling died over a year ago (they were only about 4 months old at the time), and she is still a loner. I feel sorry for her; she roosts alone, and is alone all the time. Has also fallen to the bottom of the pecking order. But she didn't bond with any of the new birds this year.

 

[newchicksnducks]

Quote:
While they will mix to a point, they really do like to stay with their own "feathers!) My flock of 15 are a mix of 6 different breeds (all have 2-3 of the same breed, with the exception of one Jersey Giant). They most frequently can be found in the company of their own breed. The Jersey is black, and she is most frequently found scratching or roosting beside the Black Australorps...same color, similar combs...same "feathers"!

 

[Booswalia]

Shortly after I took that photo I went back out and there were two eggs in the nest. They do EVERYTHING together. Poor Stu, (I thought she was a rooster when I named her), is going to be the loner at least until spring. I don't think I want to introduce a new one just now.

 

[BorderKelpie]

I hav noticed this with mine as well. When I first started my chicken craze, I ended up with 3 hens. They went everywhere together. As I got more birds I noticed that the new ones remained loosely with their brooder mates but seemed to 'pair' up as breed specific BFFs. When one of my original girls died (stroke?) and another one wandered off to have her chicks, Jacy ended up on her own. Dahlia bonded with her daughter and sticks with her. I feel badly for Jacy but she seems ok with it.

 

[Jenski]

I have found the same thing with both my standards and bantams. They all have an uneasy detente, but few birds of different breeds have ever been buddies. They always group together with their own kind.

If I had it all to do over again, I would only have one or two breeds in together, and have more birds of each breed.

Hmmm, maybe I just need to hatch more chicks in spring . . .

BTW Booswalia, I love the pic of your hens! It's precious.

 

[Booswalia]

Thanks Jen. Those two are pretty good posers.

 

[Equus5O]

The girls that I bought together do seem to stick together. The two white Leghorn crosses, that were bought together, are the wanderers. If one is the out in the woods, the other isn't too far behind. They routinely have to be rounded up. The two Polish were bought together, and they are stuck to each other like glue.