Weekly Chicken Gazette Issue #30

Welcome to the Gazette! I know many of you have been anticipating this weeks update on the hens at “Fuss and Feathers.”

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I’ve decide for this weeks issue of the Gazette to talk about what I call “Chicken Culture.” Yes, I probably do need more to do!

First, lets define culture in simplistic terms.

Culture is defined as "all group-typical behavior patterns, shared by members of communities, that are to some degree reliant on socially learned and transmitted information.” Additionally, culture is not passed on genetically from parents to offspring, but rather learned through experience and participation.~from Wikipedia

People have socially transmitted behaviors, but do chickens?

Do chickens have an organized culture?

Do they learn by observing their peers?

Do they have language skills?

Can they learn?

When I started closely observing my chickens I began to notice they do seem to operate in their own micro-culture. The evening roosting time provided me with ample evidence for my theory.

Mornings are not a prime time due to their exuberance regarding being fed and let out of the coop! That’s mayhem time.

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Yes, there is a pecking order. It’s not as simple as one chicken being an alpha. If there were a rooster in the mix he would be dominate. At different times being alpha appears to rotate amongst the flock. One day it is Dot, the next it’s SweetPea and then Brownie. Dots just a bully to Henny, but she’s not being alpha. Blue, Shelly, Professor, MaryAnne all take their turns.

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The two who seem consistently passive are Blanche and Henny Penny. There are oblivious anomalies with both hens, Blanche has a crocked tail and Henny still has pecking wounds with missing feathers on her neck. It’s like being ostracized from society for being different looking.

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I’ve watched countless times the smaller Easter Eggers knock Dot and Blue right off the roost bar by just applying brute force. Placing their head and upper body under her breast and pushing up hard with all their might. When I first saw this my first thought was-aww she wants to be comforted, Not!

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Every hen also has a different distinct call and what I call mutter. The muttering sounds like self talk or bitching. They do it with each other and alone.

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Brownie bitchin at me.

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They display pack behavior when hunting for food during their free ranging time and fight for the prize whether it’s a lizard, bug, grub, baby snake or even a toad. Songbirds don’t operate in a pack (migration and flock behavior don’t count), nor do predatory birds. Vultures are the exception, but it’s a different hunt, they’re scavengers.

Chickens can learn from other species, like humans. They recognize individuals and know intent and they also can be taught. They take clues from their environment and seem to reason. They are not afraid of the dog or the cat. If I do A then B is going to happen. I have taught some of them tricks with and without good.

My summation is that Chickens are at least as intelligent as a toddler or the family dog and my research verifies they function within a culture of their own.

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Moving on...

I have lots of eggs to distribute to my customers and friends. I ran out of cartons and need to raid the towns recycle bins, egg cartons are abundant on certain days. The hens are laying really well.

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Purchases this past week were calcium, grit, and more feed. Having one additional hen (HP) and all of them being adults seems to make a difference in their feed consumption.

Stay tuned @mother2chicks for next weeks Chicken Gazette Issue #31

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