A Guide To Understanding The Chicken Pecking Order

I have two roosters who were house raised for several months. They will attack me in the yard. My dominant rooster comes to chase them away. It is an interesting interaction. They also attack my husband and he tries to catch them and hold them. Works well. They are bantee/silky crosses so they are not very big.

Very useful information for chicken owners, clear explanations and helpful photos.

This was very informative, thank you. It would be helpful to have an article about the pecking order in hen-only flocks. Everything I have read so far seems to focus a lot on rooster behaviour.

Good article explaining the pecking order of chickens, and what to expect in the transitioning of different groups of birds.

I have a beautiful feathered family and learned their social behavior just by watching, hours on end. However, didn’t really have pay much attention until I read this article. Enlightening it was!

I love my feathered babies! They greet me each and everytime no matter the time, day, weather.. they’re loyal and I back to them.
Thanks!!

So helpful! Many reasons why.......

My chickens are more likely to fight if they've been locked up for a while. As soon as they're allowed out, they chase each other around for a while.

Very informative and a good read!

Good information. I have a pullet that chases my daughter. This explains it
thank you

A good article, but possibly a little over-simplified. Pecking order is not purely a function of the physical attributes of a chicken within a flock and nor is pecking order linear (i.e. from top down).

Including references for articles on integration may be helpful, e.g.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/introducing-new-chickens-using-the-see-but-don-t-touch-method

i do seem to notice my favored chickens usually end up at the bottom of the pecking order. I am not sure if I favor the weak or if the other chickens take note that I have given a treat "out of the order".
I do try to respect their status and their environment and I have no problems with human aggression.

This article has given me a bit more insight Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience.