Chicken hiererarchy

give it some time its still early.

 

That is about the age my roo started "bossing" the hens around. He will break up fights, call the girls when he finds a juicy bug and tells them when there is danger and to run into the coop.
Just sit and watch them for a while and you will start noticing all kinds of things, like which hen bosses the others around and which is the roo's favorite.
Have fun!

 

One of my EEs is always quick to put the others in their place. She chases after them but never has to peck because they stop whatever she's after them about. However, she also seems to mother my buff silkie (they are all the same age). When my silkie, who is the sweetest but not too clever, gets lost or left behind, the EE usually goes back and helps her out. I figure she's the top of the pecking order.

 

I can't tell in my flock who is the QUEEN.

They all do their own thing, get along fine, eat together - RUN when they catch a bug. Get annoyed with each other now and then.

I'm not sure its something I NEED to know. I also think the top position changes often. Just not something I've bothered to try figure out - in the whole scheme of things, it doesn't really matter.

 

My ten silkies will be getting along just fine, and then go through phases of all out cat fights for position. i have a couple that always avoid a fight, others that will hop into the fray if it looks like they may get a leg up in the pecking order. Then Dusty will come barreling in and beat the crud out of everyone. It's funny because she is one of the tiniest ones. But NO ONE messes with her.

Buffy Jr. used to be on the very bottom, and then one day realized she could pick on Diana and get away with it. Diana is a loner and always avoids a fight. So she starts chasing Diana around, pecking her mercilessly. i finally had to put Buffy J in time out.

It's interesting to just sit and watch because things do change every day. You'll have to let us know who ends up being Queen, realizing that it may only be Queen For A Day.

 

I've been somewhat facinated lately trying to figure out who is the 'top' girl in my bunch but I can't narrow it down. They all seem to bump chests with each other and my itty bitty, runt BR definitely holds her own....she is surprisingly not the lowest man on the totem pole. That honor goes to my sweet Rosey, the one EE chick I hand picked out of the box of hundreds...they must know she's special. The poor thing just stands there with her neck raised up letting the other chickens pull her feathers out under her chin and neck....the bare spot seems kind of crusty to me....I just want to moisturize it for her.
She tends to be a loner....poor Rosey.

 

We have a big ladder that I finally stuck in with the 4 week olds...by 6 weeks, the top of the pecking order goes to the top of the ladder, and on down to the bottom. Has anyone else experienced this? It is really quite interesting. The "higher ups" want to be the highest up!!