We’ve only got 1 rooster atm so I can’t really say about their dynamics. I’ll soon know more because we kept a cockerel. He’s just getting his comb.
Our old rooster was a tyrant. He was huge and had mean ergots. We often had to bash him pretty hard on the head for him to stop attacking us whenever we got out in the garden. He was delicious though.
Our current one is way smaller, less territorial, and tbh quite scaredy. He mostly follows his favourite hen around.
We’ve got a few different breeds. Each time we got them by pairs so they would have someone they already knew when we introduced them to each others. They’re all on the bigger end so no specific size disparities.
They mostly get along really well. They tend to stick with their sibling more than with the others. Up to a point than some got really depressed when the other died. They’ll still eat the corpse if it looks ok though. ^^`
They also seem to have more similar characters in given breed. Faverolles are the most curious. Brahmas are more fearful (and they run like humans wearing big old timey skirts, it’s so cute). But there might be some differences cause by them growing in different places, etc. I’ll know more when the little ones grow up. They way more cuddly and approachable since we’ve known them from birth.
The rooster’s favourite hen is not necessarily the top hen. He’s the only one to treat her differently. He specifically shows her the best food and follows her a lot. Sometimes he even shoos away the other hens when he gives her something tasty. He also mates more with her which is an issue in late spring when his hormones get a bit out of whack.
There’s currently a bit of a power vacuum amongst the hens because our oldest hen died recently and she was the boss (old age and leg arthritis).
I found out that hen relationships are way less patriarchal than I thought at first. Everyone usually follows the lead hen. Sometimes hens will even get noticeably annoyed by a rooster and peck him away.
The chicks usually follow the more motherly hens but everyone tends at least a bit to them. Because yes, some hens will cover eggs and take care of the youngs while others not so much.
I like that last idea and will do some experiments. I’ve already noticed that they could recognize their reflections and use it to clean themselves. They’re so smart.
Chickens are so cool, thank you very much for entertaining me with this, I found it all very interesting - and might even be a bit closer to getting some birbs.
And yeah, chickens will eat anything if it looks/might potentially be appetising.
I wasn’t actually under the impression they were patriarchal at all … if anything I though that they don’t need that much solid/stable gov stricture (coop level I mean, not bonded pairs) that it’s just fluid.
I also didn’t know about their romantic love being that exclusive. How sweet.
I’m French and in the zeitgeist the rooster is more important than he actually is. With it being the national animal and shit.
Yeah their organisation is kinda fluid but there are still some power struggles. And it can get ugly really fast.
For example, if a chicken gets wounded, sometimes the others will peck at the wound. In less than a day it can go from a small sore caused by a pin feather to an open wound requiring urgent care and deploying the chicken wire Berlin Wall.
It doesn’t help that the sneaky little buggers will hide when they’re sick or injured. Both because they’re prey animals and because they’re little asshole dinosaurs. Before I got more used to it, they were half dead when I noticed something was off. It still happens from time to time but less often. They’ll even “pretend eating” by pecking at the ground to fool you and the others when something causes too much discomfort.
You have to feel their crops by hand to be absolutely sure that they’re not casually dying of hunger when sick.
We’ve only got 1 rooster atm so I can’t really say about their dynamics. I’ll soon know more because we kept a cockerel. He’s just getting his comb.
Our old rooster was a tyrant. He was huge and had mean ergots. We often had to bash him pretty hard on the head for him to stop attacking us whenever we got out in the garden. He was delicious though.
Our current one is way smaller, less territorial, and tbh quite scaredy. He mostly follows his favourite hen around.
We’ve got a few different breeds. Each time we got them by pairs so they would have someone they already knew when we introduced them to each others. They’re all on the bigger end so no specific size disparities.
They mostly get along really well. They tend to stick with their sibling more than with the others. Up to a point than some got really depressed when the other died. They’ll still eat the corpse if it looks ok though. ^^`
They also seem to have more similar characters in given breed. Faverolles are the most curious. Brahmas are more fearful (and they run like humans wearing big old timey skirts, it’s so cute). But there might be some differences cause by them growing in different places, etc. I’ll know more when the little ones grow up. They way more cuddly and approachable since we’ve known them from birth.
The rooster’s favourite hen is not necessarily the top hen. He’s the only one to treat her differently. He specifically shows her the best food and follows her a lot. Sometimes he even shoos away the other hens when he gives her something tasty. He also mates more with her which is an issue in late spring when his hormones get a bit out of whack.
There’s currently a bit of a power vacuum amongst the hens because our oldest hen died recently and she was the boss (old age and leg arthritis).
I found out that hen relationships are way less patriarchal than I thought at first. Everyone usually follows the lead hen. Sometimes hens will even get noticeably annoyed by a rooster and peck him away.
The chicks usually follow the more motherly hens but everyone tends at least a bit to them. Because yes, some hens will cover eggs and take care of the youngs while others not so much.
I like that last idea and will do some experiments. I’ve already noticed that they could recognize their reflections and use it to clean themselves. They’re so smart.
Chickens are so cool, thank you very much for entertaining me with this, I found it all very interesting - and might even be a bit closer to getting some birbs.
And yeah, chickens will eat anything if it looks/might potentially be appetising.
I wasn’t actually under the impression they were patriarchal at all … if anything I though that they don’t need that much solid/stable gov stricture (coop level I mean, not bonded pairs) that it’s just fluid.
I also didn’t know about their romantic love being that exclusive. How sweet.
What birbs would you be getting?
I’m French and in the zeitgeist the rooster is more important than he actually is. With it being the national animal and shit.
Yeah their organisation is kinda fluid but there are still some power struggles. And it can get ugly really fast.
For example, if a chicken gets wounded, sometimes the others will peck at the wound. In less than a day it can go from a small sore caused by a pin feather to an open wound requiring urgent care and deploying the chicken wire Berlin Wall.
It doesn’t help that the sneaky little buggers will hide when they’re sick or injured. Both because they’re prey animals and because they’re little asshole dinosaurs. Before I got more used to it, they were half dead when I noticed something was off. It still happens from time to time but less often. They’ll even “pretend eating” by pecking at the ground to fool you and the others when something causes too much discomfort.
You have to feel their crops by hand to be absolutely sure that they’re not casually dying of hunger when sick.