Welcome back to the blog! The “parts” of the blog within the overarching series can be confusing at times, so just know that this is a continuation of the previous post on chicken behavior. It is time to pick up where I left off last time.

Chickens, though not the most exquisitely exotic, divine, or pristine of birds (keep in mind they are related descendants of the Tyrannosaurus rex), still love to stay pretty and pretty clean regardless. I imagine that they would be completely obsessed with posting on famous social media platforms such as Instagram if they ever gained the ability to use it. Moving on, for example, aside from the regular preening behavior after I pretend to lift the them up and down like dumbbells, I would often catch a chicken doing yoga after roosting for long periods of time. I have only seen one form/technique of chicken yoga, and it is a simple stretch of a leg and wing on the same, or corresponding, side. It’s almost like a dumb Fortnite emote in real time. Every single occurrence, I would say “do it again so that I can get it on camera”, but they would always look at me weirdly and turn away affectionately to continue mowing the lawn or whatever.

With regards to their feathers, chickens like to preen them – as previously mentioned – and most of all avoid contact with water. Chickens only use water for one thing: drinking. Like a stereotypical feline, all of the chickens that I have observed thus far absolutely tend to avoid water on their feathers, especially during heavy rain when it is the worst. Fortunately, the feathers will provide shelter from the elements; however, this does not mean that it is okay for them to be in a place like a swimming pool. That is a bad idea. They will drown after a relatively short period of time afloat.

 

Lastly, they also like to take dust baths – akin to a pig rolling around in mud! Here, the chickens will lie down and shimmy about in a motion similar to a dog scratching an itch. Though it may be hard to relate to such dusty behavior, take a lesson from the hens – never forget that you need to take care of yourself (if you do not yet already)!

Note: be careful when handling chickens as it is very possible for them to carry pathogens from all that time they spend in the fields’ dirt.

Thank you for reading this blog post, and hopefully I was able to share some interesting experiences in this entry. Join me next time for more! Stay tuned and look forward to it.

Welcome back to the blog! This is the fourth entry in the extra series/seventh overall. The post this time around is a continuation of the one on chicken behavior. Although not the most intelligent animal, their somewhat complex social behavior and ability to be learn still deserves to be recognized. After a couple of years of channeling my inner Jane Goodall (chicken style), I have made some simple observations that, in the end, likely pale in comparison to formal research on the subject; nevertheless, they are still worth noting.

First, these social birds have distinct personalities and generally get along alright. However, there is one exception: food. Being small-brained organisms, chickens go crazy for food (especially when hungry). If hand fed something like a grasshopper (dead or alive), they will push and shove over each other in order to be the first in line to eat. After a chicken secures it, they will then selfishly chase each other around in an exciting game of cat and mouse. When all is said and done, they will likely be too busy being jealous (if they are capable of even feeling such emotions) to notice or realize the fact that five minutes ago, I had thrown five extra grasshoppers into their enclosure.

Chickens are also curious! Once they recover enough of their energy spent during the hatching process, they will refuse to stay still unless sleeping. After a few weeks, they will begin to grow disinterested in their enclosure and may start to jump. This is when their legs display significant physical prowess. They can and will attempt to jump onto ledges that are several times their height, similar to how an ant is able to pick up and carry objects that is several times its weight. It is akin to a baby learning how to walk, although a jumping chicken is arguably much cooler.

This behavior should also be monitored and/or kept at bay if possible, for once they learn to escape the habitat, they are less likely to stay put in the future. It may also be an early sign that the chicken is ready to be released to live in an outdoor environment. It seems that young male chickens tend to exhibit such “rebellious” behavior more often than females as the latter, especially in the presence of a male leader, may remain more passive or tame as per the standard, or general, pecking order. Additionally, chickens love to perch. It is a good idea to have structures installed especially in an outdoor enclosure that allow them to perform said action. Anywhere that is higher than where they once were originally will suffice as they climb up each step even further before realizing that they still have to flap down if they want food. Since all breeds of domestic chickens are unable to fly (possibly for the better), they are often seen cautiously hopping up and down between places.

Thank you for reading this post and learning more about chicken behavior! Join me next time for some more chicken action. Stay tuned.

Welcome back to the blog! This is part three of my extra series and, by extension, part six of the overarching series I guess, so at this point, my extra series is now the same length as my “original” series! Anyway, today I will be exclusively discussing perhaps one of the most interesting topic relating to chickens – their hierarchal system. Believe it or not, yes, chickens are social creatures! Interacting with (mostly) other chickens helps them to develop into healthier adults, but it is also important to understand the power dynamic between them, especially if the flock is large or has at least one rooster in it.

We all remember back in high school how students would naturally split into different social groups to fit in with varying levels of popularity; for example, the stereotypical: sports kids, music kids, “smart” kids, “those” kids, etc.. The unspoken chicken hierarchy formally known as the “pecking order” (sometimes also heard in the world of business) is similar but less complex, more societal, less political, and more practical. Now, as one may expect, the pecking order is actually quite simple. After all, they are just a bunch of chickens. It conceptually exists, at face value, in a realm very much like other natural animal hierarchies, including lions and perhaps even humans in traditional scenes. How does it work? As long as there is more than one chicken, theoretically, a pecking order should always exist. Generally speaking, roosters will battle it out to see which will stay on top while the rest (hens and chicks) are grouped, ranked, and ordered by seniority (size and age). Insect hierarchy diverges from this model, but that is a story for another day. Note – there is no chicken that will “rank” the other chickens. It is through interaction that the hierarchy will be established. Additionally, roosters will rarely fight claw to claw. Instead, other means of showing off exist. Essentially, it is the equivalent of a gym – a lot of people literally flexing on each other and grunting in public.

Your chickens will also see you as a part of your flock. If you raised them, it should be no big deal as you are likely recognized as a natural leader already, so do not worry, but if you introduce a new rooster to your flock, you may have a more difficult time managing. If the rooster acts up, give ’em the ol’ one-two and beat the ever-living crap out of them while yelling things like “you are weak, ten-piece”, “I’m the captain now”, or even “KFC” if you are really feeling it. Does that sound brutal and like abuse? If you answered “yes”, congratulations, you are correct! I was just kidding about throwing hands, but in all seriousness, if a rooster offensively charges you, it is best to hold it down to the ground (ethically, of course) until it finally shuts up. It may take some physical strength to calmly pin a rooster down in a vulnerable yet safe position, but there is no need to be forceful at all. If you find yourself pulling a maneuver akin to the one that Gordon Ramsay used on Sasuke Uchiha at the end of Shrek V for forgetting the lamb sauce (shown left), you are doing it wrong. By repeating, you will be able to assert dominance. Yeah, that will go to show him who’s the real alpha boss around here. It may take a while for chickens to find their place in the order. This is why it is usually a bad idea to unexpectedly introduce new chickens of any qualification(s) to a flock without any previous exposure or warning whatsoever.

Logically, the role of the dominant rooster is to protect the flock. As such, a perk of being the dominant chicken is usually having ease of access for food (whether desired or not). Even other roosters will be forced to give respect, for confrontation is not common and many underlings will simply step aside in the face of a mammoth. Does this mean that the dominant chicken controls all? No, the notion that a chicken Napoleon will arise from the backyard is rather silly, but if necessary, aggression is an option – like the manner in which mother canines will discipline their young pups. Such social/physical aggression is rare in creatures like chickens, but it has the potential to become more and more varied as the species of organism becomes more and more intelligent – case in point, the human society.

Thanks for reading this post! Alas, I shall continue this series! Looking forward to the comments! I hope to see you next time.

Welcome back to the blog! This is yet another entry into my series on chickens, and this time around I will be focusing on different breeds of chicken in addition to how to choose a potential breed.

This is one topic that I have not yet touched on and honestly should have discussed earlier. Better late than never, though! Anyways, the breed(s) of chicken raised should reflect what is desired in the end. More specifically, consider whether or not something like meat is more of a priority, rather than egg production. Perhaps neither are important! There are a variety of different breeds to choose from; some are broody, others are exotic with fancy or expensive plumage, some provide efficiently robust-quality meat, and others offer efficient egg production. Even within the realm of egg production, there are factors such as size, color, intervals of egg laying, and much, much more. For example, if an assortment of eggs encompassing all colors in the white light spectrum are desired, go for the famously popular hybrid – the Easter Egger. Yes, the breed name is truly “Easter Egger”, and as the name suggests, it lays a variety of eggs with colors of the rainbow. One drawback of having this breed, however, is that – as a type of tradeoff – it seems like the level of egg production is lower than average. I am not completely sure as to what breed is used for commercial produce, but if you are looking for an aesthetically cute and interesting breed to show others, the native-to-China Silkie (shown in the bottommost image following the White Crested Black Polish image) is definitely the way to go and one of the most sought after “fancy breed”. I am not familiar with dogs, but they seem like the chicken version/equivalent of the Bearded Collie.

One common worry is whether or not having multiple breeds in a single flock together will be problematic and/or difficult to manage. I have not raised a flock with different breeds in it at one time, but I know people who have, and there did not seem to be any issues regarding the mixing and mingling of the chickens, and they get along quite well. Personally, out of my two “successful” flocks, I first raised black Australian Australorps and then…the “yellow kind” (likely the Buff Orpington). If buying chicks in person at a store like Tractor Supply, they likely have more common (stereotypical), cheaper breeds as opposed to exotic ones that are hard for people to get their hands on because the latter are generally not found suitable for practical use in farms. I highly recommend the Australorps. I had five, and every single one of them was so friendly with me (as most breeds of chicken are)! They have consistent pink/brown medium-sized egg production and have feathers that give off a jade-colored tint, or sheen. The other breed was not as friendly, but at least both were hardy which is what mattered the most to me when choosing. When I inevitably retire to the fields, I may choose to raise chickens once more, and I’m thinking about the Silkies!

This post was relatively light compared to some of my previous ones, but I hope that this cursory information will help to give a push, or guide, some in their breed-choosing endeavors. Thank you once again for reading my post! I am thinking about continuing this “extra” series for at least two more posts (possibly one about chicken behavior and another with a more biological approach to chickens), so this won’t be the last you’ll hear about chickens from me. Please leave any questions in the comments below and stay safe!

Welcome back to the blog! Although I have essentially wrapped up my series on raising chickens, there are still some important topics that I was unable to incorporate into my previous entries. Now, here I am in an attempt to wrap things up once and for all! I say that despite having a feeling that this is not the end of our chicken journey. I would not be the least bit surprised if that were to be the case.

On one of my previous blog posts, I received a comment regarding egg laying and harvesting, so I guess that I should dedicate this post to writing about just that! Shown on the right is an anatomical model of a chicken. As I have previously mentioned, chickens only have one vent through which all material that exits their body must leave from. Back to the topic at hand, just as a fun fact, laying the egg does not take a long time, but forming the egg does. It first begins as a yolk, and as it travels through the hen, a shell begins to form around it.

 

Displayed on the right is a graphic with various different possible colors of egg and each of their most common breeds of chicken, respectively. Chicken eggs come in all sorts of sizes and colors, contrary to what is displayed in almost all supermarket refrigerators. The egg laying process begins when the hen is 18 weeks old, and each breed of chicken has its own idiosyncrasies (as I will mention soon). Generally speaking, when a hen feels the need to lay an egg, she will find a comfortable location, sit for a period of time, and then leave. It’s that simple. Depending on the breed, however, the level of egg quality and production will differ. Furthermore, some breeds are particularly broody regardless of whether or not the eggs are fertilized. This means that you will have to put some effort into harvesting the eggs as you awkwardly reach under the guarding “mother” to harvest the egg(s).

Once laid, the eggs should be ready to be eaten. When I say eaten, I mean by humans. It is important that the chickens do not somehow eat their own eggs because this could develop into a habit of theirs. Do not worry. Most of the time, chickens will not instinctively try to eat their own eggs. Additionally, the first couple of eggs that a hen lays may be lacking a tough outer shell. This could be caused simply by a lack of calcium and tends not to be an issue following the first occurrence. Chickens are social animals and value their privacy! Although it may be tempting to check on the hen, I once did so and unintentionally spooked her, causing her to stop laying the egg altogether. I could feel a judging aura emanating from that exact hen for the rest of the day. That definitely sounded less creepy in my head, but the point remains – do not peek on your hen if you wish to have a productive season! It is the equivalent of peeking into a bathroom stall in use! Besides, the process looks painful and disgusting (just search for it on YouTube). What I always found interesting is that certain chickens would “claim” certain egg-laying stalls for themselves. They would not fight over available spots, but there would always be a preferred location to lay eggs among the flock as a whole. In terms of productivity, I assume that egg production and egg quality will both begin to decline as some point after a certain age during the hen’s lifespan.

Finally, hens will almost always sing what is commonly referred to as the hen’s “egg laying song” (heard here). It’s generally unclear to me as to why this behavior exists, but I like to think that the hen is somewhat proud of her achievement. Who can blame her? It’s like being forced to give birth, but every day. I can only imagine what it would have been like if I was birthed and the first thing I ever heard in life was “BOCK BAWK BAGAWCK” for several minutes without pause. Actually, those are chicken sounds, and for those wondering, yes, it does get old quickly. Anyway, what sound would a human make if they behaved in such a way? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below, and I will be happy to read them.

As always, thanks for reading! Stay safe and join me next time for the next post in the “extra” series!