PERSONALITY & PECKING ORDER

One of the best times to integrate birds of different breeds and sizes into the same flock is during chickhood. Chicks work to establish a hierarchy from the very beginning, and neither chicks nor adults discriminate on looks. Rather, they establish a pecking order on personality and assertiveness. Some breeds are known for having a docile temperament, and some are more aggressive. Of course, this influences an individual’s personality. But, each bird is unique. Even if you had a flock of 10 hens of the same breed, one bird would be alpha and others would be varying degrees of submissive. In other words, there’s no need to shy away from mixing birds of different breeds because you’re worried about kerfuffles. An individual bird’s personality is more influential to the pecking order than her breed.