Chicken Society

When we first kept chickens, we started with a dozen or so chicks that grew up together and knew each other well. As a mature flock they had an established pecking order and every bird knew her place. Every two years we would give away what remained of our flock after predators had invaded. Then we started a new group of chicks to replace the old ones. There was an established order in the chicken yard.

Now we have taken a different approach. We keep the old hens and buy enough replacement pullets to keep the flock at about 14 hens. This approach has taught us a lot about chicken society and its rules. Laurie brought five seven-week-old Americana pullets this spring, but they were too little to put with the big girls, so we set them up in a separate room of the chicken house. The first night a blacksnake smothered one of the babies by trying unsuccessfully to swallow it.

Laurie agreed to keep the young ones in her garage until they grew big enough to join the flock. Two of them turned out to be Rhode Island Reds instead of Americanas and one of the Americanas turned out to be a rooster, a fact Laurie discovered when she heard juvenile crowing.

The seller agreed to take the rooster back and give us a pullet instead. The problem was that the new pullet was only seven weeks old, and much too small to join the older ones. We moved the three older pullets into the chicken house with the old hens, but that left the new little pullet, Matilda, all by herself in Laurie’s garage. Meantime, the first new pullets were hanging out together in the chicken house and yard. The old hens sometimes chased them and would peck them if they got in the way, but at least the young pullets had each other for companionship.

The Big Three hang out while an old Rhode Island Red lays an egg.

Observing how the new pullets were faring in their chicken society, I strongly felt that Matilda would have a rough time growing up alone and that she needed companionship in order to have a friend when she was ready to join the old hens.

We intended to buy only one companion for Matilda, but when we visited the chicken farm we fell in love with a little bitty Lavender Orpington as well as a Rhode Island Red who was about the same size as Matilda. We brought both of the home, and after a few initial hubbubs, Matilda welcomed her two companions.

Laurie’s little cage soon was too crowded for the three newest pullets, so we moved Rhoda, the Rhode Island Red into the big house with the flock. Poor Rhoda spent all of her time alone. Even the older three pullets wanted nothing to do with her. We felt so sorry for Rhoda that we gambled on moving Matilda and Lila, the Lavender Orpington into the big house. Having the companions she was used to made Rhoda a happy girl.

The Little Three playing it safe on the roost.

The first three pullets, now known as The Big Three, still hang together and spend a lot of time inside the house. The second three, known at The Little Three, also stick together, spending most of the day perched on the roost, especially when old hens are inside the house. When they deem it safe, The Little Three hop down and get themselves something to eat and drink.

The Little Three grab a bite to eat while an old Barred Rock lays an egg.

Eventually all six new pullets will be well-integrated into the flock, but it will take time. People are a lot like chickens in this way. Racial integration takes a long time, but we have made great progress over the past 50 years. I bet it won’t take the chickens that long. They may be smarter than we are.

Copyright 2014 by Shirley Domer