Socializing Chickens

19 years ago

I've recently entered the "chicken world", and am fascinated by them. My original purchases are almost old enough to lay, but since I bought those, I've bought two more batches.

My ultimate goal is to have a small side-business selling pasture produced eggs. I want a docile easily-handled chicken.

From my work with dogs, I realize that early socialization is very important. Therefore, although my first chicks were from the feed store, my next batch was 2 day old, and received a lot of handling, and were in my office for the first 3 weeks of their lives.

The feed store chicks are Buff Orpingtons, and Ameracaunas (3/3). They were about 2 weeks old when I bought them, and are maturing into lovely birds who come right up to me, but don't want to be handled.

The next were 1-2 day old chicks - Cuckoo Marans - again, they are docile, sweet birds ( I ordered 8 pullets) and got 7 female, 1 male Maran and 5 Ameracauna (my guess) males. If I am quiet and slow, they will stand while I pick them up.

The last batch was 45 Barred Rock. These are a whole different story. I didn't keep them in my office more than a week, because that number of birds stink to high heaven no matter how often I cleaned them!

Now they are little thugs. They crowd around me when I enter the pen pecking at everything in sight. It's like a scene from Hitchcock's, "The Birds", and they're still very little!

There's plenty of food - I try to keep food available 24/7. They are in a 100 foot square pen, and will be let out to forage once I think they are big enough.

Is this difference in temperament merely due to the better socialization that the first two batches received? I've read that Plymouth Rocks are friendly easily handled birds, but that Marans are not. I've found the complete opposite.

What's been the experiences of others? Do you do socialization work with them?

I'm also tempted to get some of the egg-laying hybrids, but I'm totally confused by conflicting opinions about these, both by production, and temperament. I want a docile bird who's a good forager, and producer.

What are your favorite egg-laying breeds? Thanks for any insight you'd care to share.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

HerringboneD28
19 years ago
Your Buffs are great, friendly birds that should also make good broody hens. You may want to try some Speckled Sussex. I've found them to be very friendly also. As for the Barred Rocks, if you have 45 birds in a 10' X 10' pen it's no wonder that they pounce on anything you put in there. Too many birds and too little space equals too much competition. I realize they are still small, but at barely over 2 square feet per bird, the socialization problems you are experiencing is due to group dynamics and overcrowding. How many feeders and waterers do you have in there? Barred Rocks are great chickens. IMHO
picklespickles
19 years ago
sometimes there are birds who are more strongly one way or another, but i agree that with that many in that size space you are only going to have what you have right now. if even if they were the best behaved birds on the block.

i got some birds from a place where even though it was a very nice well built pen, it was still too small for their needs. they ganged up on each other and tore each other apart. here, the feathers are growing back in and though there is still the usual dominance things, no cannibalism. but it's still the same birds. so they didn't change, they just got more space to roam around in and not feel like they had to compete so much.

i am actually one of those is also into dogs, socialization and the whole bit but i think this is a different case.

i think there's a big difference between a few and fifty. maybe you could keep some for right now to get more used to them and enjoy the eggs for your own table. then next year, try it on a bigger scale. maybe pass these chickens onto someone else for right now. or, stick with what you have but go with a lot more room.
Related Professionals
Sioux Falls Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Janesville Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Denver Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Las Vegas Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Pine Bluff Landscape Contractors · Elkton Landscape Contractors · Coldwater Landscape Contractors · Bennington Landscape Contractors · Murrieta Landscape Contractors · San Angelo Landscape Contractors · Boise Landscape Contractors · Forrest City Accessory Dwelling Units · Middletown Accessory Dwelling Units · Sioux Falls Accessory Dwelling Units · Kennewick Accessory Dwelling Units
cpp6318
19 years ago
I Have lots of birds...I mean LOTS of birds, and I've found that socialization does't make a whole lot of differance(but I have dogs to and they are unsociallized and will rip a leg off at a moments notice and I prefer it that way so keep in mind that I may be a little off on proper socialization).
I have production reds that have never been handled other than daily maintenance that will crawl all over you and I have Barred Rocks that have been hand raised but take a net or unsocialized dog to catch.
As far as gentle chickens that fend for themselves but are easy to be around, I sugest Rhode Island Reds. They are not quite as calm and freindly as the sex-links but they fend for themselves a little better and are not flighty around people. Sex-links and Delewares both make nice gentle hens as well but they have more of a tendancy to want to wait for the feed bucket instead of forage.
Your Rocks should fend for themselves just fine but they are not a pet breed, not wild but not super gentle either. I would stay away from them in the future as their eggs are a little smaller and lighter brown than people will want to buy.
picklespickles
19 years ago
you cracked me up with caught by an unsocialized dog comment. :)
Miss_Kitty
19 years ago
I also like rhode island reds for production birds and dual purpose, the roosters are defiantly big enough to eat - they were a little too aggressive but were incredible foragers - in my garden especially - so I switched to Dominiques, the old dominaker breed. Which are an off shoot of the Barred Rock breed.

I recently bought an electric poultry fence to keep the poultry out of the garden. And I really like it! It is not for little bitty peeps, but the mid sized ducks and pullets stay in just fine! I really should have bought a bigger fence package, but I have a small flock.

hope this helps
Kitty