Dealing With CHICKens

        For my last round of service projects, I decided that I wanted to look after the new chickens that were going to be joining the old chickens.  If no one looked after the new and the old chickens combined in a new environment then they would probably kill each other.  So I came in almost every lunch to look at the chickens and learn the chicken social hierarchy.  Surprisingly, the littlest chicken was the boss of everyone.  I also came in after school to observe the chickens and their behavior.  When I first heard about looking after the chickens I was kind of like whatever, but after actually spending time with the animal I had a really good time finishing off the school year with a fun project.

Samantha Polacek Period 6

EGGcelent Behavior

Though we were expecting the chickens to fight, they did not. However through periodical observation, the alpha chickens were shown to peck at the new chickens if they stepped out of line and were also observed taking over areas and forcing the new chickens out. The new chickens were observed to be close and often stayed together.

The new chicks on the block, sticking together
during the first few days.

Would she accept the new additions into the flock?

At first the chickens were noticeably divided into different groups, the older chickens in the alpha and the newer chickens in the beta group. However as time progressed, the divide between the two groups narrowed until now, where the chickens have been assimilated into the pecking order. This pecking order has been observed to be fluid, as the chicken that was once the top bird has been replaced by another chicken from the alpha group.

Hoping For COOPeration

There were new chickens and we had to make sure that they didn't kill each other. This may sound simple but because chickens often establish complex pecking orders, this is not as simple as it sounds.

Some fighting is required as according to The Happy Chicken Coop blog:
 

"When your existing flock ‘greet’ the new chickens you will find there will be some scraps and jostling as they establish the new pecking order. This is perfectly normal and is a necessary step when successfully introducing new chickens. You should only stop this jostling if one of the chickens looks injured or starts to bleed- you don’t want your chickens to experience any permanent injuries." Though, " If you find that the jostling is getting more and more intense and it lasts more than several minutes, separate the new chickens and re-introduce them again tomorrow. Continue to do this once a day until within a few minutes of introducing them, they have settled down." 

Using this information, we knew it was important to observe the chickens as they got to know each other. As, if they fought too much we were prepared to create  a separate space for the new chickens to inhabit while we broke up the integration into phases instead of all at once.

Two chickens fighting over roosting box rights.

UnEGGspected Events

While caring for the new additions to the school flock, we came upon some interesting happenings. Such as chickens sharing roosting boxes during the daytime and a chicken that decided that a human neck was a great place to perch. Some other interesting happenings were chickens perching on people's arms as if they were falconers and birds snacking on pant legs, raw chicken and Apricot tree leaves (which they seem to prefer). Not only were these behaviors noted in the new additions, but the original flock members as well.

Chickens doubling up in their roosting boxes for reasons unknown.

Chicken having a good time,
perched on a human.