Can 6-8 weeks old chickens have a pecking order?

[MissChick@dee]

Put out two feeders and two waterers, put them as far away from each other as is possible. The Alfa chick may run back and forth trying to bully. The others can get to the one that he/she is not at. When they are young it looks like a game. The Alfa may be just as happy to have his/her own. They settle down once they giguyit out. Good luck!

 

[MissChick@dee]

Giguyit???? Sorry lol me and my fat fingers on a iPhone ...*figure it out * typo

 

[Shadrach]

So if I threw some chicken food near a lower "rank" chicken, the lower "rank" doesn't eat it?

Most likely is the junior chicken you threw the food for will try to grab a bit and run when a more senior chicken approaches.
It often depends on how close a senior chicken is.
If say you place a bowl of food on the ground in front of a group of chickens, the senior chickens will eat first while the juniors will dodge around the outskirts trying to grab the pieces that may have been scratched out of the bowl.
Feeding time is one of the best times to observe how the hierarchy is set up.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

The leader goes where she (he) wants, and everyone gets out of the way. First to food and water, best and highest roost space, defers to no other bird. And on down the line; second, third, fourth, etc, down to the lowest individual. New birds start at the bottom and move up as they can. With plenty of space, separate feeders and waterers, and reasonably pleasant individual birds, no injuries are likely to happen and everyone learns how to behave.
Mary

I have used a handgun to cull roosters and as sure as God makes little green apples as soon as the targeted rooster was shot every other rooster in the flock came running to get a few cheap shots at their former lord and master.

In life they would have never dared to do such a thing but as soon as any small (or big) weakness is detected then the game changes to let's beat up on the head chicken while he (or she) is down. The same thing applies when you are introducing a new hen, only in reverse. In this case everyone wants to make sure that the newcomer knows his or her place. No one ever said that chicken society was nice or that it was sweet.

 

[BirdGirl2004]

Absolutely! I swear, the day my chicks popped out of the shell they started there pecking order! It's completely normal! Don't sweat it!
Good luck!!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Most likely is the junior chicken you threw the food for will try to grab a bit and run when a more senior chicken approaches.
It often depends on how close a senior chicken is.
If say you place a bowl of food on the ground in front of a group of chickens, the senior chickens will eat first while the juniors will dodge around the outskirts trying to grab the pieces that may have been scratched out of the bowl.
Feeding time is one of the best times to observe how the hierarchy is set up.

Roosting time is the best time to observe the pecking order in operation because you (or at least your chickens) are all in the same small location, grouped together where it is easy to see the series of sharp pecks that are intended to keep birds of lower rank from encroaching on the personal space of higher ranking birds. I don't think that the highest ranking bird always has the tallest roosting place although that may be true, but the highest ranking bird is like the proverbial 500 pound gorilla in that he or she sleeps anywhere that they da%& well pleases. It is not unlike a bunch of quarrelsome children getting ready for bed and one of them complaining bitterly about one or the other child making faces at or looking at the other child the wrong way.

 

[4 ever Orpington]

Title pretty much says it all. I have 10 6-8 weeks old chickens in a group. I was wondering if they can have a pecking order.

Yes they can! In my last years flock I had a known Rhode Island cockerel and a Buff Orpington what I thought was a hen they couldn't get anywhere near each other with out a brawl breaking out. Then my soon to be head Orpington hen would fight with both of them. Crazy chickens.

 

[Shadrach]

Roosting time is the best time to observe the pecking order in operation because you (or at least your chickens) are all in the same small location, grouped together where it is easy to see the series of sharp pecks that are intended to keep birds of lower rank from encroaching on the personal space of higher ranking birds. I don't think that the highest ranking bird always has the tallest roosting place although that may be true, but the highest ranking bird is like the proverbial 500 pound gorilla in that he or she sleeps anywhere that they da%& well pleases. It is not unlike a bunch of quarrelsome children getting ready for bed and one of them complaining bitterly about one or the other child making faces at or looking at the other child the wrong way.

I get surprisingly few problems at roosting time. I have 4 occupied coops at the moment and the perches were deliberately put at the same height to avoid hierarchy disputes.
There is still some bickering but from looking in the coops you wouldn't know who are the senior chickens.

 

[Chicken3460]

Thanks for the advice! Now then time to watch my chickens =).