Chickens coming online in their relative pecking order positions

[JustSarahThanks]

But actually the anecdotal variance of the data makes a poll worthless, IMO.
Polls, especially here, are often not written well...often about topics that can't be narrowed down to a few choices.
I've written and/or executed many studies(polls of a sort) in the engineering arena,
so many ways at each step the data can get skewed.

Exactly!
I do think your observations and conclusions have validity....
...but that doesn't mean it's common in all flocks.
Other variables at play too, especially breed.
A high production bird might be low or middle of the pack in the pecking order,
yet lay first because of genetics.

All that makes sense. It's too bad that there isn't a better form of self-reported polling here where you could control for things like breed and climate (and beyond that, whether you're in the northern or southern hemisphere since we seem to have a lot of Australians and New Zealand-folk in this community) or other lurking variables. But it would be interesting! I'm still interested in people's anecdotal experiences with their own flocks, too.

In the meantime, here's a picture I took yesterday of Velociraptor hard at work laying her first ever egg, while little Goga and I hold vigil for her.

 

[Allthefloofs]

This is an amazing observation! As I reflected on our first little flock of three girls the same thing happened! Now I want to see how it plays out in our new girls. As an unrelated side note, I about died laughing at your names, Queen Xenomorph is about the best name I have ever heard, I could actually see the Aliens queen in my head as I read it!

 

[JustSarahThanks]

This is an amazing observation! As I reflected on our first little flock of three girls the same thing happened! Now I want to see how it plays out in our new girls. As an unrelated side note, I about died laughing at your names, Queen Xenomorph is about the best name I have ever heard, I could actually see the Aliens queen in my head as I read it!

This is Queen Xenomorph. The resemblance is uncanny, right?

 

[HappyClucker7]

This is an interesting observation!
It didn't happen like that in my flock at all. The first chicken to lay was relatively low in the pecking order. The leader of the flock was third (out of 6 chickens) to start laying.
I think it might have more to do with the breed than with what place they have in the pecking order.
You would have to do some experiments to find out if the pecking order plays a role. It might. You never know. Chickens are very complex creatures.

 

[bikerchix]

gotta know how velociraptor von murderbird got her name

 

[JustSarahThanks]

gotta know how velociraptor von murderbird got her name

Well, there’s not much of a story to it, alas. Just a name I came up with. And the first of the names I came up with for this little chicken squadron. It was assigned to her because she was the first of the little puffballs I had a bonding moment with (read: giving her a gentle pasty butt wash in the sink) so it seemed only fair that she’d be the one who got the first name. I will say, though, that of my birds she’s the one who’s best at catching flies in mid air. And will unintentionally take the skin from your hand when you feed snacks out of it, so in those ways it fits her.