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Can you raise chickens in Skokie? What about bee hives for honey? | Skokie, IL Patch

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Can you raise chickens in Skokie? What about bee hives for honey? | Skokie, IL Patch

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At this time you can not raise chickens in Skokie.

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The idea of urban farming or raising small farm animals on residential property is a topic of growing interest. It requires balancing individual interest in urban animal farming with health and safety considerations as well as. As of right now, Skokie residents cannot raise chickens or other farm animals. Some communities have experimented on a restricted basis, but Skokie is not considering it at this time. There are no local laws that specifically pertaining to bees. The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDA) simply requires that people who have bee colonies to register them with the IDA. Here is a link to their website with more information. IDA Bees Page

There are, however, many urban farming options available throughout Chicago. Growing Power's Chicago Projects Office manages resource development and provides technical assistance needed to assist emerging community food centers and urban and small farm projects in the metropolitan Chicago area. They have a market basket program and farmers markets which are open from May to December. Visit their site.

There is also a project called, "The Plant". Watch this video which explains more about the project, which is a mix of greenhouses, aquaponic vertical farms, small food businesses, breweries and light manufacturers. The Plant, which received a $1.5 million grant last year, should be finished by 2016. Visit their site.

Food Day 2012 is this week on Wednesday, October 24th, at Depaul University. There will be several food advocacy and policy-related organizations there. Click here to learn more details.

Each week we have a blog post and/or video where one or more representatives from our slate reaches out to a local business and resident to answer some of their questions. If you have a question or want us to come to your business, click the link below.

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Can you raise chickens in Skokie? What about bee hives for honey?

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The idea of urban farming or raising small farm animals on residential property is a topic of growing interest. It requires balancing individual interest in urban animal farming with health and safety considerations as well as. As of right now, Skokie residents cannot raise chickens or other farm animals.

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Backyard Chickens Ruffle Feathers in Northbrook | Northbrook, IL Patch

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Backyard Chickens Ruffle Feathers in Northbrook | Northbrook, IL Patch

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Discusses areas around Skokie that allow raising chickens - Like Evanston.

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Chicken was on the menu at Northbrook's most recent village board meeting.

After a resident asked trustees to revisit regulations on raising chickens, board members weighed in Tuesday on whether backyard fowl should be allowed-and if so, under what conditions. Ultimately, they voted 4-2 to send the matter to the communications and legislation committee for further discussion.

"I think there is a movement in this country to have local food and to have sustainable food, and I think that we should at least look at it," said trustee Todd Heller.

Northbrook joins a growing number of communities in Illinois and around the country that have relaxed regulations on raising chickens. Locally, municipalities such as Batavia, Long Grove and Evanston have recently revised their codes to make it easier for residents to do so. In September 2010, for example, the Evanston city council made it legal in for so long as they apply for a permit, while Batavia on the matter in May 2011.

Under Northbrook's current municipal code, residents are only allowed to raise chickens if they have at least two acres of land. No more than three chickens may be kept at one time, and their coop must be 150 feet from the property line, according to Tom Poupard, director of development and planning services.

Because few people have two acres or the space to set back a chicken coop, the village's standards make it impossible for most residents to raise chickens, he explained. The regulations bring up some of the same issues as the village board considered when it drafted code relating to front yard gardens after neighbors complained about .

Board Considers Noise, Odor and Effect On Property Values

Trustees Michael Scolaro and A.C. Buehler III both opposed changing Northbrook's current code on chickens and voted against moving the discussion to committee.

"If you've been out to Batavia, you might notice some differences there," Buehler said of the community 40 miles west of downtown Chicago. "I don't think you'll see a windmill on our corporate logo."

Scolaro said chickens aren't comparable with domestic pets such as dogs-and he worried that loosening regulations could create further problems. Neighbors might get into disputes over noise, and chickens on one property could lower the property values of another, he said.

"The laws of unintended consequences could take over here and we could become the residential chicken farming capital of the world," Scolaro said. "I don't think that's what I want for Northbrook."

Trustee Heller said he thought chickens weren't necessarily a greater nuisance than a noisy dog-and he supported residents' efforts to raise food sustainably and locally.

Trustee Bob Israel said it was a matter of personal liberty.

"If somebody wants to do that and it's their own property, I don't have an objection to it," he said.

As long as the village was careful in crafting regulations, residents should be able to raise chickens responsibly, said trustee Kathryn Ciesla.

"I don't think there's going to be a huge run on Northbrook residents going out to buy chickens," she added.
At Least Two Community Members Are Ready For Hens
If the village were to change its regulations regarding chickens, six-year resident Christine Buti would probably be among the first to set up a coop. She's the person who launched the discussion when she asked trustees to take a look at the municipal code in November.

Buti would like to raise chickens on her property because she believes it's a sustainable, healthy way to provide her family with eggs. She noted that homegrown eggs have significantly less cholesterol and more antioxidants than typical store-bought eggs. And, she said, dogs actually create more waste than chickens do.

"As long as you don't have a roosters, hens make very, very light clucking sounds," she added. "Some people have chickens for years without their neighbors even knowing about it."

Also advocating for chickens at the meeting was Noreen Garrard, a Northbrook resident who maintains a second property in unincorporated Northbrook.

"The reason we originally moved to unincorporated Northbrook was because chickens were legal," she said.

Garrard said the chickens she raises in unincorporated Northbrook are practically family pets.

"I have pictures of my children, sometimes as young as 1, 2 years old, sleeping in the front room with a chicken on them," Garrard said.

Her children show goats and chickens as part of the agricultural program 4H, and often the family donates the eggs to local food shelters.

"I just wanted to make you aware that there are people in Northbrook that have them and nobody knows about it," she said. "Even a lot of the neighbors that do know don't care."
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Backyard Chickens Ruffle Feathers in Northbrook

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Chicken was on the menu at Northbrook's most recent village board meeting. After a resident asked trustees to revisit regulations on raising chickens, board members weighed in Tuesday on whether backyard fowl should be allowed-and if so, under what conditions. Ultimately, they voted 4-2 to send the matter to the communications and legislation committee for further discussion.

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Breaking Down Aggressive Chicken Behavior - Off The Grid News

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Breaking Down Aggressive Chicken Behavior - Off The Grid News

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Chickens are the backbone of the homesteading food supply. They are a great source of healthy protein in both meat and eggs. Chickens are easy to care for, generally hardy, and can even be quite affectionate. These attributes often make it seem so simple to keep chickens that new flock owners find out later that there are certain laws in the chicken world that they as humans don't see until it is too late; they then have to adjust their way of keeping their flocks to compensate for the problems.
A Chicken Is A Chicken - Can Chickens Tell The Difference Between Breeds?
New homesteaders eager to start a flock of their own often start out thinking that having more than one type of chicken is a good idea. In many ways it can be. Of course, you could buy a dual-purpose breed that provides both a decent meat source and regular supply of eggs, but certain breeds that excel at one or the other are going to be better at it than the dual-purpose chicken. Meat breeds will produce more meat per pound in a faster time period than a chicken that has some meat and lays eggs on a fairly regular schedule. A chicken designed for optimal egg production is going to produce a lot more eggs per year than a dual-purpose chicken.

In general, chickens don't understand the difference between breeds and should get along fine. What chickens do recognize are other members of their species that do not look like they do. Yes, chickens are a bit prejudiced. If you have a large group of one type of chicken, they will usually gang up on the one or two others that do not look like they do. They recognize color differences the most and will beat up on the odd chickens in a group. So, when you are looking to incorporate several different breeds of chicken and need to keep them in one large pen, there are two things you need to keep in mind to make it as successful and minimize potential fights as much as possible - aggression and space.
Aggressive Breeds
Some breeds are also more aggressive than others. While Rhode Island Reds are an amazing farm breed for egg production and are fairly docile with humans, they can be very aggressive toward other breeds of chickens. They generally should not be kept in the same confines as breeds such as the Brahmas, which, in spite of the great size, are extremely docile, or Australorps, which are also an excellent egg-laying breed and very docile. If you are determined to keep breeds that are more aggressive with those that are more submissive, pay careful attention to the habits and behavior of the group on a daily basis.
Space Matters
Overcrowding will encourage aggressive behavior towards the odd chickens. Being kept in too small of an area can also create aggressive situations in chickens of the same breed. Aggressive behavior varies from flock to flock and in different circumstances. It can be as little as chasing the submissive birds away from food sources or the rest of the flock all the way to destructive pecking and feather plucking.
This handbook provides an introduction to key aspects of raising and breeding chickens.
Close observation is always important when keeping a flock of chickens to make sure that they are getting along and no one member of the flock is being abused or kept away from food and water. Signs of beginning abuse include:

Bald spots

Bloody patches of skin

Signs of illness including crusty eyes or dirty vents

Scars or missing portions of the comb or wattles

The Pecking Order
Do not confuse outright aggression with establishing a pecking order. Chickens are highly social and live in a complex flock hierarchy. It may not seem like it to you as an observer. They may all just look like a bunch of birds milling about in a yard, but in their world, there is a very definite establishment of power in the community. When a new chicken is introduced, it will immediately be "low bird on the totem pole" and will be reminded of that status as it becomes a part of the flock.

Care should be taken that the new bird is not overburdened by the group, but as long as it is healthy, do not try and interfere with the group. If you isolate the new bird, it will only take longer for it to become a part of the group and may actually result in even more aggression when reintroduced.

Of course you should always isolate new birds before putting them into the flock initially, but take great care in removing any member of the flock once it is in with the others. Even an established flock member can be treated with aggression if removed from the group for too long.
A Taste for Chicken
Cannibalism is not uncommon in chickens. It can become quite a serious problem when aggression causes bloody patches and the aggressive members of the flock develop a desire to attack each other to get to the flesh of the other bird. This type of cannibalism also occurs with eggs. Great care should be taken to remove all eggs from nests daily and watch for any broken eggs.

Eggs can break from the weight of the hens, from being turned in the nest, or when multiple hens use the same nest to lay their eggs at the same time. When you are allowing a hen to set on a group of eggs to hatch them, you should keep watch to be sure none of the eggs break during the incubation period.

When there are broken eggs on the ground or in nests, the natural pecking from the flock means the birds eat the shells and fluids. Once a chicken eats a broken egg, they develop a taste for it and will begin attacking intact eggs. This is a habit that is nearly impossible to break once it begins.

Chickens that are deprived of calcium in their diet will also develop a habit of eating the eggs. A lack of calcium in the diet will also make eggs weaker and more apt to break in the nests. Since, egg shells are rich in calcium, the birds will naturally turn to the eggs if they aren't getting the nutrients they need from their foods.

Some farmers purposely feed discarded egg shells to their flocks to provide a great source of calcium. This is dangerous and may create a taste for eggs that leads the flock to begin destroying healthy eggs in the nests. If you want to make use of your empty egg shells from the kitchen, grind them into a fine, unrecognizable powder before throwing it out for the birds to eat.

Keeping chickens can be a lot of fun. If you pay attention to the dynamics of the flock and keep the chicken coop clean, they will reward you with an excellent food source and a lot of amusing antics in the barnyard.

© Copyright Off The Grid News

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Breaking Down Aggressive Chicken Behavior - Off The Grid News

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Chickens are the backbone of the homesteading food supply. They are a great source of healthy protein in both meat and eggs. Chickens are easy to care for, generally hardy, and can even be quite affectionate. These attributes often make it seem so simple to keep chickens that new flock owners find out later that ...

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A Step-by-Step Guide to Raising Chickens | Chicago magazine

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A Step-by-Step Guide to Raising Chickens | Chicago magazine

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Discusses the size of land needed and also has information about the types of chickens. Really helpful

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Community organizer Kelli Wefenstette, 33, and her husband have been raising hens in their Portage Park backyard for seven years. The birds do a lot more than lay eggs, she says. "They'll chase after things, they'll jump off the ground, they'll kind of do tricks for you. They're freaking hilarious." They've also endeared themselves to the neighbors. "Everyone's always asking, 'How are your girls?' " Photo: Jason Little

Backyard chickens are becoming a thing in Chicago. And why not? They're perfectly legal, they require less care than a dog, they're winter-tolerant, they provide endless amusement, and, best of all, they produce a daily supply of fresh eggs. All you need is a patch of ground-a typical Chicago postage-stamp yard is usually enough-and a modest investment for materials and feed. OK, getting your eggs from the store is undoubtedly cheaper-but you can't put a price tag on the pleasure of raising your own fowl.

Prepare Their Home

Illustrations: Vidhya Nagarajan

Choose Your Chickens

Start Farming!

Edit Module Previous Five Edible Plants That Will Grow on Your Windowsill Next A Step-by-Step Guide to Urban Beekeeping
This article appears in the April 2018 issue of Chicago magazine. Subscribe to Chicago magazine.

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A Step-by-Step Guide to Raising Chickens

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Edit Module Backyard chickens are becoming a thing in Chicago. And why not? They're perfectly legal, they require less care than a dog, they're winter-tolerant, they provide endless amusement, and, best of all, they produce a daily supply of fresh eggs.

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The Step-By-Step Guide To Raising Chickens In Your City - Eco Peanut

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The Step-By-Step Guide To Raising Chickens In Your City - Eco Peanut

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there are a ton of benefits, many of which will surpris​e and excite you. The more you're aware of, the more excited you'll become!

The law: is it legal to raise chickens in your town? - Before you get started it's a wise idea to check local laws and regulations to make sure it's legal to raise chickens in your neighbourhood , and to see if, and how you'll be restricted. We'll show you how to do this, quickly.

How to buy chicks or chickens without being ripped off - Ok, so it's time to get your new family members! Where should you buy them from, and how much you should pay? If you buy eggs, do you know how to hatch them? We'll answer all of your questions and point out the traps you should be aware of!

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there are a ton of benefits, many of which will surpris​e and excite you. The more you're aware of, the more excited you'll become! The law: is it legal to raise chickens in your town?

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What The Peck? How To Deal With Aggressive Chickens - Hobby Farms

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What The Peck? How To Deal With Aggressive Chickens - Hobby Farms

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When we were young, my little sister rescued a bantam chick from certain demise. She named the bird Miss Peep and loved her immensely. But before long, it became apparent that Miss Peep was actually Mr. Peep, and beyond that, he was one mean rooster. He would watch for one of us to leave the house and come barreling out of the fencerow, head lowered, spurred legs at the ready. We had no idea why he was such a pill when all we'd ever done was take care of him. This was our first experience with aggressive chickens.

It might sound funny, but a mean chicken is no joke. To reduce the tyranny these birds can impose upon us well-meaning humans and the overall flock, we need to take some defensive steps.

Defense No. 1: Understand Meanness

To begin with, "mean" is a bit of a misnomer. In the chicken's tiny brain, there is no room for meanness as we understand it. Aggressive chickens, however, might adopt behaviors that humans perceive as mean: pecking the hand that feeds; beating at its opponent or keeper with its wings (called "flogging"); spurring people, animals or other chickens; and basically terrorizing anything that moves. So defense No. 1 is to recognize that it's nothing personal.

While aggression is irritating, concerning and at times scary, it can be comforting to realize that chickens put no planning or malice into their actions. When we understand that, we're less likely to personify aggressive chickens, assigning them ulterior emotion-based motives they are incapable of and viewing them as enemies.

Aggressiveness in chickens can be hormonal, genetic, instinctive or behaviorally reinforced. Some breeds are naturally more aggressive, just as some are better foragers, layers or mothers. (See "Read Your Breed" below.) Within a breed itself, there will be variations. Bantams tend to be gentle, but Mr. Peep was obviously not a good representative of his tiny breed. Roosters can also perceive people as threats to the flock and react protectively.

Defense No. 2: Be Top Bird

Think like an alpha chicken. Chickens use pecking and aggressiveness to establish their social hierarchy. In her University of Kentucky Extension article, " Normal Behaviors of Chickens in Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks," project extension manager Jacquie Jacob writes: "By 16 days of age, fighting to determine the pecking order begins."

Like a Chihuahua fronting up to a pit bull, aggressive chickens apparently have no inkling that attacking people to show them who's the boss is not going to put them on top-unless, of course, you back down. Backing down from a chicken is not a good thing to do any more than letting a dog, horse or other animal establish dominance over you. You, or some other less suspecting person or child, could get hurt.

Jacob says that while male and female chickens can attack, roosters tend to be more violent, and by use of spurs, as well as the beak, they can draw blood on unprotected skin. They can be bullies. Hens can also adopt unpleasant behaviors. Sometimes, in a roosterless flock, a hen might adopt a rooster's protective role, becoming aggressive to people though docile with the other hens.

In my last bunch of backyard hens, I had an escape artist, a homebody and a hen named Kristy, which you had to look at continuously or she would attack with beak, wings and claws every single time. A fox ate her for dinner one night, and we didn't mourn her. In retrospect, I wondered whether Kristy had appointed herself the token rooster in the group and was just doing her job, protecting her flock.

Defense No. 3: Be On Guard

Know the signs: If a chicken lowers its head and sidles toward you, watch out! Being attacked by a chicken might sound hilarious to some-unless it happens to you. Jacob says that raised neck feathers and wings pointed toward the ground and away from the body are classic attack signals in aggressive chickens. If not turned away, a chicken will flog its opponent and stand very tall before kicking out to engage leg spurs, pecking, jumping at and spurring as they go.

There doesn't seem to be one foolproof way to deal with aggressive chickens. Some advocate bringing food as a distraction. This has never worked for me, nor has kindness and sweet-talking: Experiences with Mr. Peep and Kristy are evidence of this. Others suggest defending yourself with your boot or a stick, which did cause Mr. Peep to leave me alone, but it didn't faze Kristy in the least. In fact, some research indicates such methods can make the bird more aggressive, because they view it as a challenge or threat.

Defense No. 4: Go On The Offensive

Regardless of the method, establishing yourself at the top of the pecking order seems to be the best way to deal with aggressive chickens. Perhaps the most humane way to do this is to show dominance similarly to how you'd train a dog.

For chicken domination, at first sign of attack, reach down, grab the bird by the feet, turn it upside down-ignore the squawking-and tuck it under your arm like a football. If it's clear that you'll have this type of showdown, you can wear gloves and clothing you don't mind bringing in contact with chicken feet and feathers. Then go about your business, holding it until it acknowledges your dominance by ceasing to struggle and holler, which typically takes less than a minute.

Once it does, release it, but watch out. At first it might come right back at you. Every time it attacks, give it more of the same. Ultimately, the aggressive bird might learn to leave you alone, though some just never give up.

Defense No. 5: Remove The Threat

Finally, Jacob cites a doctoral thesis about the social structures of birds, written by Norwegian scientist Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe, a zoology student at the University of Oslo in 1921, who coined the phrase "pecking order."

Schjelderup-Ebbe indicated that pecking order relies on recognition, and chickens can recognize as many as 30 individuals. This means that even if your attack chicken learns to give you a wide berth, don't count on other people receiving the same level of respect. If you've got a very aggressive bird, consider removing it from the flock. Options include gifting a friend who's up to the challenge or sending it to the stew pot.

Living in fear of attack is not a good option. If you have an aggressive chicken, don't send your kids out to gather eggs or feed until they're old enough to be the dominant force. Show them how to do it, or get rid of the threat. Children have been blinded in chicken attacks.

If you must deal with an aggressive chicken, don't expect it to appreciate your position as caretaker human or be moved by your kind acts. Be on your guard at all times, establish humane dominance if possible, and if not, send that bird on its way.

Read Your Breed

Sometimes, we inherit our flocks and take the good with the bad. But if you have the leisure to choose, peruse breed descriptions to minimize the possibility that you end up with an attack chicken in your own flock. In "Choosing the Best Poultry Breed for Your Small Farm," The University of Maryland Extension advises deciding on your goal for raising chickens as a first step in finding a breed that is best for you, and nonaggressiveness is a factor to consider. Here are 12 common breeds and their basic temperaments:

Ameraucana: calm and nonaggressive

Australorp: docile and adaptable

Barred Plymouth Rock: calm and docile, easily handled

Buff Orpington: very docile and make good pets; can be bullied by other breeds

Cochin: very friendly and tame; tend to make good pets

Delaware: calm and inquisitive, but can be cranky, which can be an awful lot like being aggressive

Jersey Giant: calm, gentle, and easily handled

Leghorn: friendly, but often nervous, noisy; can be aggressive

Rhode Island Red: fairly docile but can be aggressive, especially the roosters

Silkie: usually docile and easily handled

Welsummer: intelligent, active, friendly, but not very docile/tame

Wyandotte: docile, good mothers

This article originally appeared in the May/June 2017 issue of Chickens.

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What The Peck? How To Deal With Aggressive Chickens

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When we were young, my little sister rescued a bantam chick from certain demise. She named the bird Miss Peep and loved her immensely. But before long, it became apparent that Miss Peep was actually Mr. Peep, and beyond that, he was one mean rooster.

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Normal Behaviors of Chickens in Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks - eXtension

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Normal Behaviors of Chickens in Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks - eXtension

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Chickens are one of the most studied animal species, and researchers observed chicken behavior extensively. The term behavior can be defined as "the way in which an animal or person acts in response to a particular situation or stimulus." In 1935, research by T. Schjelderup-Ebbe (1894-1976) led to the recognition of a pecking order -a social hierarchy within chicken flocks.

More recent research has primarily focused on the importance of different "normal" behaviors in relation to animal welfare in a commercial operation. Research indicates, for example, that laying performance of chickens is influenced by human interaction. Producers should walk through the laying house a couple of times per day, selecting times that fit into the flock's egg laying cycle, such as in the early morning before the majority of the hens have started laying and later after laying time has ended. Producers should not walk through the house at peak laying time or the hens are likely to lay more eggs on the floor. By walking through the laying house, producers expose the chickens to low levels of stress, which the chickens get habituated to. This process is referred to as socialization.

Chick Behavior

Much early research on chicken behavior focused on determining which behaviors are instinctive and which are learned. In a study, chicks blindfolded from the onset of hatch until one to three days of age instinctively preened themselves and scratched on the ground. In addition, when given a worm, even if alone, these chicks ran around as though there might be others in pursuit of the worm. Research has shown that chicks instinctively show fear of stinging insects but try to catch flies. Some behaviors, however, have to be taught. For example, chicks peck at their own excreta until they learn not to. Chicks must also be taught to drink-when chicks are raised without a hen, producers must dip their beaks in water so that they learn to drink. (When the beak gets wet, the chick's drinking response is initiated.) Researchers have observed that chicks will not peck at a sheet of water, even if they are thirsty and standing in it. They will, however, peck at shiny objects or bubbles in the water.

Hen-Chick Relationship

There is some evidence of prehatching interactions between hens and chicks. Embryos and hens begin to vocalize the day before hatching and do so more and more often as hatching approaches. If an embryo begins to give a distress call, the hen vocalizes or moves on the nest and the embryo becomes silent or begins to emit pleasure calls. Hatching bobwhite quail chicks have been shown to interact with other chicks. The time of hatching may be advanced by having contact with a slightly more advanced clutch of eggs. This acceleration, however, takes place only when chicks are in the latter stages of incubation and pipping.

The main need of newly hatched chicks is warmth. Research has shown that chicks will press against any source of warmth if they are cold; the source need not be a hen. Contact with a human hand as early as 15 minutes after hatching, for example, has been shown to reduce the number of distress calls. The clucking sound of the hen has also been shown to reduce distress calls.

In studies, chicks that had not been exposed to the sound or sight of a hen ran to a box containing a hen and other chicks. This instinct to respond to the hen, however, is lost by eight days of age. When chicks from different hens were combined and allowed to mingle, they were able to locate the appropriate hen when the hens were placed with the group. After three weeks of age, the chicks were less effective in doing so.

Chicks are able to identify their mother hen by various means, but hearing seems to be an important one. When a sitting hen was removed in the dark from her chicks and another broody hen put in her place, the chicks still found their mother hen. When the hen was disguised by various means, her chicks came to her anyway. Vision does, however, appear to play an important role in helping chicks recognize their mother hen. When chicks from three different breeds of hens were removed and placed in a pen with hens of the same breed, most of the chicks were able to find to the correct breed of the mother hen. (That is, when placed in the new pen, chicks from a black hen went the black hen, those from a red hen went to the red hen, and those from a white hen went to the white hen.) There were some chicks, however, who made mistakes.

Hens have no favorites when it comes to a brood of chicks. It is simply first come, first served. Vocal communication is important in the hen-chick relationship. If a chick is hidden from its hen, it gives distress calls, and the hen typically goes in the direction of the sound. If, however, the chick is in a glass container-so that the hen can see but not hear the chick-the hen takes no notice of the chick.

For the first 10 to 12 days after hatching, chicks stay close to the hen. After this age, they begin to feed independently of the hen but still sleep and warm themselves under her. This stage lasts from six to eight weeks of age. The time at which a hen disassociates from her brood varies, but it typically occurs before the chicks are 12 to 16 weeks of age. The hen initiates the breakup of the brood. She pushes her chicks away and then rejoins the other adult birds. If the hen is not able to return to other adults, she will remain in charge of the brood until the males in the group are mature and begin to dominate her. If she has only one or two chicks, she may tolerate her offspring longer than usual.

Chick-to-Chick Behavior

Recently hatched chicks do not typically show any competitive behavior until after three days of age. By 16 days of age, fighting to determine the pecking order begins. Research has shown that with groups composed entirely of female chicks, the pecking order is established by the 10th week. In small groups, the order is typically established earlier, around eight weeks. With groups of males, the social order may remain unresolved for many weeks.

Some early research has shown that certain chicks within a brood develop leadership roles. In a scenario in which there are two sources of heat, only one of which is turned on, chicks gather around the one turned on. If that heater is turned off and the other turned on, chicks move to the other heat source. In such a scenario, some chicks repeatedly respond sooner than others. A few of these leaders have been reported to leave the group under the warm heat lamp and go to a chick lagging in the cold so that the chick will follow the leader to the heat source.

Behavior of Mature Chickens

Individual Recognition

Birds that normally form a social hierarchy, such as chickens, doves, and pigeons, usually attack a new bird of the same species or breed that is introduced into the pen or cages. In order to develop a pecking order, birds must be able to recognize individuals in a flock. This ability allows them to identify and peck only those hens lower in the pecking order. It is not clear what clues chickens are using in order to identify individual chickens within a flock.

Early research examined the effect of returning an experimentally modified bird to a flock. If the bird was pecked, researchers assumed that the others in the flock did not recognize the bird. For example, it was shown that if the loppy comb of a hen was moved to the other side of the head, she was not recognized by the others in the flock. Similarly, when individual dubbed hens were returned to a flock, they were attacked by the hens that had previously been below them in the pecking order. If, however, a larger number of dubbed hens were returned to the flock, the chickens were able to develop a new pecking order. This would suggest that the comb is not the only factor used in identifying individuals in a flock. Research showed that individual birds react to feather changes and make adjustments. Intense color changes on white individuals are more effective in producing a loss of recognition than different shades or tints. Alterations of the head and neck were shown to be more effective in producing a loss of recognition than changes to areas of the main body. Although some features are more influential than others, no single feature is the sole means of recognition.

Recent research suggests that laying hens are able to recognize around 30 individuals. The social structure developed in small groups begins to break down in flocks of 30 to 60 birds. When there are more than 60 the birds in a flock, the chickens become less aggressive and more tolerant of each other.

Preening

Grooming activity in birds is referred to as preening. Feathers are important for insulation and waterproofing (in addition to flight for those birds that can fly). Feathers are composed of a shaft with several long thin structures called barbs. These barbs are held together by smaller barbules. Sometimes the barbs are pulled apart, which makes the feather ineffective for insulation and waterproofing. A bird runs its feathers through its beak when it preens, which realigns the barbs and makes the feathers better able to perform their functions. Birds also need to keep their feathers oiled to prevent them from becoming brittle and to help with insulation and waterproofing. Birds have a single oil gland near the base of the tail, referred to as the preen gland. Birds pinch this gland with their beaks to extract a waxy oil, which they then apply as they pass their feathers through their beaks. Chickens preen on their own, but they prefer to do it as a group activity.

For more information about feathers, refer to the article on the Anatomy of a Feather.

Fighting

Chicks start fighting when they are only a few weeks old. They are already starting to establish their rank in the flock. This fighting often continues until they reach maturity and the pecking order is well established. Sometimes fights occur among adult birds. This can occur when a member of the flock becomes tired of its position in the social hierarchy and decides to challenge a higher-ranking bird. More commonly, however, fights occur when a new bird is introduced into the flock and has to find its place in the pecking order or when a bird is reintroduced to the flock after a long absence.

Although both male and female chickens fight, fights between males tend to be more violent and are more likely to result in injury or death. When two birds are on the verge of a fight, they will eye each other and may casually circle around each other, each pretending to peck at something on the ground while watching the other. When the fight begins, the birds will raise their neck feathers and point their wings toward the ground, spreading them apart from the body. They will then stand as tall as they can and try to face each other down. If neither bird backs down, they will start pecking, scratching, and jumping at each other. They will also beat at each other with their wings.

​Foraging

In the wild, jungle fowl spend 61% of their time foraging. Foraging behaviors include pecking and scratching at potential food sources, as well as looking for and sampling possible food sources. Providing chickens with a complete feed eliminates the need for foraging in order to obtain nutrients, but the hens will continue performing this behavior. Although finding food is not the ultimate goal of the foraging behavior in domesticated fowl, researchers have have not yet been able to determine the motivation for this behavior. There are a number of theories, but little evidence to support them.

Nesting

Domestic hens prefer to lay in nests containing loose material that they can settle into, molding the material with their bodies and feet, and that they can manipulate with their beaks. When given a choice, the former condition is more important than the latter. It is important for pullets to have access to nesting boxes before they start to lay. If a hen will have jump up to nest, she must be trained to do so as a pullet. If she does not learn in the laying house, she could end up laying a greater number eggs on the floor. Birds are mimics, and the first layers become the teachers for the remaining pullets in a flock.

Hens can differ in their preference for nesting location. When a group of hens was given the choice between a nest box and a litter tray, the majority preferred the nest box. There were some hens, however, who preferred the litter tray. Those that selected the litter tray tended to spend more time exploring during the hour prior to laying an egg than did those that selected the nest box. Their final trip to the nest, when the egg was laid, was shorter for those that selected the litter tray.

The prelaying behavior of domestic chickens is similar for most hens. Before laying, a hen shows restlessness and begins to look for a nest, poking her head into the nest boxes provided. Between nest examinations, she typically resumes other behavior she had been performing-eating, preening, sleeping, and so on. Over time, the hen puts more and more of her body into the nest boxes she is examining, eventually entering one and settling down. Hens may stay in the nest after the egg is laid. They may later cackle and leave the nest. Different breeds may exhibit some aspects of prelaying behavior more than others. Leghorn hens, for example, typically show pronounced searching and nest-selection behavior. As a result, these hens spend more time visiting and investigating a number of potential nest sites before choosing one. In contrast, hybrid layers of brown-shelled eggs tend to sit longer in nests and perform nest building activities.

Prelaying behavior is triggered by hormones associated with the last ovulation and not by the presence of an egg in the shell gland. Normally, the prelaying behavior begins an hour or two before the egg is ready to be laid. If egg laying is delayed for some reason, the period for prelaying behavior will pass, and the hen will no longer be motivated to search for a nest. In these cases, the egg may be laid outside the nest while the hen goes about other activities. This can happen, for example, when dominant hens prevent subordinate hens from entering nests.

Dust Bathin​g

Dust bathing is the act of rolling or moving around in dirt to cleanse the skin and feathers of parasites, dead skin, and other skin irritants. It also helps prevent the buildup of the oil from preening. When chickens do not have access to dust baths, they will nonetheless go through the motions of dust bathing. In behavioral studies, hens have shown a willingness to work to gain access to material for dust bathing. (Note that access to a dust bath does not prevent feather pecking.)

Perchi​ng

Chickens have a desire to roost. At about three weeks of age, chicks start to jump up to higher surfaces. The structure of a chicken's claws ensures a firm grip while the chicken is perching and will prevent the chicken from falling off a tree branch, even when the bird is asleep. Chickens go to perches about half an hour before twilight, with the actual time depending on light intensity. For example, they will perch earlier than expected on a dull, cloudy day and later than expected on a bright, clear day. They seem to perch when the light is about 1.25 foot-candles. The "flying down" time in the morning is typically 30 minutes before dawn, at around 0.003 foot-candles of light. Again, the actual timing of this activity varies depending on the weather conditions. Chickens snuggle together during the night and start spreading out about two hours before the lights come on.

Responding to High Ambient Temperatures

Chickens can tolerate with cold weather better than hot. Chickens cannot sweat-they cool themselves by dunking their beaks in cold water or flapping their wings to air out their feathers. They may also pant when they are desperate to cool down.

Drin​king

Chickens must have access to a supply of clean, fresh water. Water in the crop softens feed so that digestion can occur. Without water, dry feed forms clumps in the crop. The clumped feed can press on the bird's carotid artery, decreasing blood flow to the brain. This can cause paralysis and possible death. Poultry have a split in the upper hard palate of the beak that allows air into the nasal passages. This prevents a vacuum from forming in chickens' mouths. As a result, chickens rely on gravity to draw water into the crop. This is why chickens lift their heads after dipping their beaks in water.

For More Information

The behavior of the domestic chicken: A review of the literature. By D.G.M. Wood-Gush. The British Journal of Animal Behavior. 111(3):81-110.

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Normal Behaviors of Chickens in Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks - eXtension

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Chickens are one of the most studied animal species, and researchers observed chicken behavior extensively. The term behavior can be defined as "the way in which an animal or person acts in response to a particular situation or stimulus." In 1935, research by T.