Hypothetically-- Could you make a super friendly chicken breed?

[Amelise]

Some strains of Show Quality Silkie are bred too friendly that they're not that smart.

In that case, maybe friendliness is more connected to how jumpy or aware they are, and if they’re less aware of their surroundings they’re easier to handle but also dumber?

 

[nuthatched]

There's no training, that's false information. They're bred that way.
But that's also some conversation that's not really allowed on this site.

Sorry, guess I've seen too many people on this site swear up and down that the their 'fighting birds' are actually nice unless conditioned for aggressiveness.

 

[nuthatched]

In that case, maybe friendliness is more connected to how jumpy or aware they are, and if they’re less aware of their surroundings they’re easier to handle but also dumber?

That's how domestication works.

 

[Amelise]

That's how domestication works.

in most cases, maybe? There are some super friendly dogs that are also very aware of their surroundings. Maybe that could happen with chickens? Friendly but aware of their surroundings is what I’d be going for.

 

[Amelise]

Sorry, guess I've seen too many people on this site swear up and down that the their 'fighting birds' are actually nice unless conditioned for aggressiveness.

Maybe it’s the conditions, too. I’d assume the abusers don’t take good care of their birds and they may be hungry or more stressed which could make them more aggressive?

 

[nuthatched]

Maybe it’s the conditions, too. I’d assume the abusers don’t take good care of their birds and they may be hungry or more stressed which could make them more aggressive?

It's more exploitation than abuse. But no, we're not allowed to speak of it lest someone actually get properly educated about the matter.

in most cases, maybe? There are some super friendly dogs that are also very aware of their surroundings. Maybe that could happen with chickens? Friendly but aware of their surroundings is what I’d be going on.

An animal's instincts usually trumps being stupidly unaware. I'm not saying they'd be dumb as rocks or unaware of what going on if they'refriendly but as prey animals, it's not common for them to snuggle or like being petted or seek out human touch. It's up to the individual bird and how they're raised.

 

[Sunshine009]

I'll disagree with the majority here and say that personality is absolutely within the genetics - though socialization absolutely plays a role. It's always nature and nurture, as they say. I'll I'm saying is - it's no accident my buff orpington is the friendliest hen I've got, as it's a known trait of the breed! If that isn't genetics, I guess all my university studies don't mean much haha!

https://academic.oup.com/genetics/article/209/1/209/5930956
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1056617122000046
As some evidence.

Genetic correlations to behavior is nothing new and is a commonality between all living creatures. How else do fearful, timid wolves evolve into friendly pet dogs, or horses develop the flighty instincts to evade predators, or chickens the social behaviors to unite as a flock? It's all evolution - that is, natural selection of genetics over time.

Long-winded way of saying - yes, of course it's possible. What you'll REALLY be contending with, and the struggle all breeders of all animals have for millennia, is genetic diversity.

The thing is - when you want to breed for specific trait, that trait must appear /reliably/ in offspring. Otherwise you won't be able to continually select for it and you can't count on friendly hens producing friendly chicks. And if you can't do that, what's the point?

However for a specific trait to appear reliably, it must be one of the ONLY genes for that trait available when genes are mixed in offspring. If you're interested in genetics (or if you took upper level biology in high school) you may have heard of the Punnett square - if not, basically, if your genetic mix-n-match choices are aa, Aa, and AA, and the ONLY one you want is AA, well, you only have a 1/4 chance of getting that for each egg. Not great odds for selection. BUT if you only mix a chicken with "aa" genes with another chicken with "aa" genes, now your odds are 100%. Sounds good!

But this is the hard part - to really control the exact genetic outcome you want - that is, to make it reliable - you have to narrow down the gene pool to limit a "mean" gene (let's say, "Aa" slipping in and ruining your genetic line "aa". This means inbreeding - maybe not brother to sister, but possible second cousin to second cousin. And as you may already know - inbreeding often leads to health problems.

I'll be honest, I'm not really in the world of chicken breeding, but I am in the horse and dog world and know a lot about that. Many, many breeds of both species are facing extinction, because it order to maintain the exact appearance and personality of, say, a Dalmatian, you have to aggressively narrow down the gene pool to the point that those animals can barely stay alive long enough to breed themselves.

Now, especially in the dog world, there are genetic diversity "projects" aimed at reviving the breed by reintroducing genetic diversity through integrating other dog breeds into breeding programs. But, the drawback is, these new "Dalmatians" won't /really/ be "Dalmatians", since the new mix will not reliably produce the exact look and personality of that breed standard.

Creating a new trait in a genetic line, or to take that farther, a new breed, means constantly playing the game of balancing the predictability and strength of the trait you want with the health and other attributes of the breed.

Wow... that was maybe too much. Hope it was worth the read. Don't let me scare you off! I think genetic projects - when done with a lot of research and prep - can be awesome. Let me know when your super friendly chicks are on the market!

 

[Amelise]

It's more exploitation than abuse. But no, we're not allowed to speak of it lest someone actually get properly educated about the matter.

An animal's instincts usually trumps being stupidly unaware. I'm not saying they'd be dumb as rocks or unaware of what going on if they'refriendly but as prey animals, it's not common for them to snuggle or like being petted or seek out human touch. It's up to the individual bird and how they're raised.

Hmmm…. in that case, my plan is

1. Find a breed and variety I’d like to work on
2. Raise em up so they’re nice
3. Get rid of the ones that still happen to be super skittish or mean even after socialization
4.if I find a super friendly bird who also fits the SOP , win/win!

(Also, I didn’t know c.f was a banned topic… oops :/)

 

[MysteryChicken]

In that case, maybe friendliness is more connected to how jumpy or aware they are, and if they’re less aware of their surroundings they’re easier to handle but also dumber?

Seems like it.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Sorry, guess I've seen too many people on this site swear up and down that the their 'fighting birds' are actually nice unless conditioned for aggressiveness.

Personality wise, friendly to the keeper, but highly aggressive to the other roosters.