Building a Flock
I woke up one morning with the thought that I had to check Facebook marketplace that minute. When I did, I saw that one minute earlier a woman had posted that she must immediately give away her flock of chickens due to divorce. I instantly inherited a flock of fully grown layers that included 11-13 roosters. These were a mix of two generations of birds, not necessarily related.
The woman warned me that she would never go into the chicken run with roosters without a rake. So, once the flock was comfortable in their new run, I went out and watched for a while. After all, the first principle of permaculture design is to observe.
Observe Nature thoroughly rather than labour thoughtlessly. Masanobu Fukuoka.
Within a few minutes it became clear to me that there was a complicated dynamic amongst the flock. One majestic rooster was a clear leader, possibly a Wyandotte, who protected the hens and alerted them to food. He had a second in command, a short stocky fellow, and a third rooster who was both of their assistants. The rest of the roosters were under their jurisdiction and often tried to fight for dominance, but always failed. The hens clearly preferred the three leaders, who also seemed to crow less than the others.
We dispatched the remaining roosters which left us with a healthy flock of approximately 3 roosters and 12 hens. I also never, ever had a problem with my gentle giant of a rooster who I named The President and no rake has every been necessary.
However, I was only getting 7 or so eggs a day, which meant that a few of the ladies were getting older (the originals). I needed to diversify my flock and bring in new blood, and so I ordered purebred Ameraucauna chicks from a reputable hatchery. These are different from Araucana chickens!
Ameraucaunas are an adorable heritage breed with floofy faces and beautiful coloring, not to mention producing coveted blue eggs. I chose unsexed chicks which are way less expensive, and raised them up until we had another batch of roosters to dispatch. This time we kept two boys, although one was an accident as he looked exactly like the other. They were named Quagmire and Quagmire 2. This left us with 5 bosses: The President, The General, First Mate, and the Quagmires.
The Controversy
In modern times, chicken-keeping is either a hobby or an industrialized process, both regulated by law. Should disease sweep through the flock, jurisdiction decides what happens to your flock. In many cases the remedy for illness is mass culling.
After enjoying relative peace for two years, my flock became the target of a young eagle and several hawks. If a hen strayed too far from the watchful eye of the roosters, she would be carried away. I only lost a few this way, and the remaining hens became wiser while the roosters became quicker. Netting was offered to me as a solution but after I had experienced my own birds getting caught in other garden netting, I imagined both chickens and hawks and eagles simply getting trapped. My quail had their heads popped off through the netting when an enterprising hawk only had to wait for them to get a little too close.
I decided to do nothing, and I lost no more chickens.
Similarly, my flock of runner ducks, had been running around in the open and I had lost 7 of the dumbest to the most stupid things: nets, getting stuck behind farm tools, or simply being carried off. I watched as a raven followed one duck, pecking at the back of its head. Instead of running, my runner duck stood still and squawked like an idiot.
I decided to let the ducks and the chickens do what they wanted to do. After all, my goal with diversifying my flock’s genetics was to build a more resilient, smarter, better producing group of birds. If I babied them, I would be destroying the efforts of several hundred years of breeding for survival. I allowed the ducks to free range away from the chickens, and they found their way under cover, living the life of happy ducks to such an extent that they managed to successfully raise a batch of babies.
There was no violence amongst the drakes or roosters. There has been no hen pecking. The roosters and drakes have successfully defended their flocks, leaving the smartest, healthiest and most resilient hens to raise smart, strong babies.
Blanket Solutions
Everything we know about biology flies in the face of mass culling birds due to disease. If I had listened to the woman who advised that I butcher all of my roosters due to their aggression, I would not have the beautiful, lovable roosters I have today nor the safe, happy and healthy hens. Killing birds who are the healthiest defies good breeding practices, and weakens thousands of years of heritage chicken genetics.
One the other hand, what may seem as uncaring of my birds (not overprotecting them) is better for them. I have had an incredibly healthy flock by observing their individual personalities and needs, something that isn’t possible in an industrialized flock.
What Can You Do?
Observe your flock’s social structure before taking action. Before making any changes, such as culling birds, spend time watching them. Understanding the hierarchy and identifying the lead roosters who protect the hens is crucial for making informed decisions.
Strategically manage your rooster population. Don’t assume all roosters are aggressive. Keep the dominant, protective roosters and culling the others to build a peaceful and well-protected flock. A ratio of 3 roosters for every 12 hens is about right.
Diversify your flock’s genetics. To improve the health, resilience, and egg production of your flock, introduce new bloodlines. Order purebred chicks from a reputable hatchery.
Consider unsexed chicks as a cost-effective option. If you are prepared to dispatch extra roosters, buying unsexed chicks can be much less expensive than buying female-only chicks (pullets) and fills your freezer.
Avoid overprotecting your birds to build resilience. Allow the flock to face natural challenges, like predators, to cultivate a smarter, stronger, and more self-sufficient group of birds through natural selection. The most resilient birds will survive and pass on those traits.
Reject “blanket solutions.” The advice that worked for someone else may not apply to your specific flock. Trust your own observations to determine what is best for your birds’ individual personalities and needs.
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