Poultry Power Play

Before you rush out to add to your flock, there are a few things to know about keeping the peace in the henhouse.

- Megg Miller

New chooks! So exciting. But long-term inhabitants of the henhouse are never as welcoming as the happy owner. Fowls, waterfowl, guineas, turkeys and especially quail view new arrivals with suspicion and go through a period of hostility and bullying before accepting the outsiders.

Could this be an exaggeration? Individual circumstances will determine the level of aggression, but owners of new birds can anticipate some henhouse unrest for the first few days and even weeks.

PECK ORDER

Poultry keepers quickly learn there is a rigid social hierarchy in flocks, whether numbers are three birds or more than 30. There is always a dominant female and numerous submissive ones that acknowledge the ruling order. Invariably, there will be a low-ranking bird (or two) that are the butt of much bluffing and bullying by higher-ranking birds.

If one member of the flock dies or is removed, even temporarily, reshuffling of the social order occurs. When new birds are introduced, they need to not only quickly identify the ranking of each bird but also establish a position for themselves.

Research shows that each bird understands who they must defer to and who they can peck or bully because of their lower ranking. Generally, altercations only involve bluffing behaviour and the occasional peck. Pecking is differentiated by hard or soft contact, the latter used to establish superiority and gain respect. Hard pecks are more worrying as they can dislodge feathers and even lacerate skin.

If blood is drawn from pecking you must remove the injured bird immediately, treat the wound if necessary and house the bird in temporary accommodation until recovered. Severe skin damage and even cannibalism can occur if birds are left untreated and at the mercy of the bully.

TERRITORIAL FEELINGS