What I have observed when adding new birds is there is status attached to laying. As a hen comes into lay a lot of the random pecking stops & she has a stable place in the pecking order. My original lead ladies were the first to lay ~ so older & larger. My present leads are the oldest of my original girls.
I think they can, but in a free range situation, they can get away from each other more easily.
Yup, that's what I see here. Of course, once a hen comes into lay here she gets the roosters attention. It's quite funny to watch. Some look very put out when they work out they have to share.
Grey bum.
You still dragging a piece of semi precious stone around a plastic groove then Bob.
I forgot to mention... that is a gorgeous assortment if eggs!
Personality. Personality. Personality. The more dominant personalities will rise higher. This is why Phyllis is a worry. She is probably fairly placid as well as being small & odd looking. As she's been raised with The Wyandotte & BR she will be low but not really picked on but needs watching when full integration occurs. This is why I have always given my Lottie special attention. It ensured she got enough to eat ~ more than enough!
She's quite plump! Sydney should be a better layer than Sansa & that may make a difference. My BRs are feistier within the flock yet placid with me so Sydney may decide to teach Sansa some manners when she's feeling confident enough.
Now that is an interesting question. I've been chatting to my Finnish friend about just this. He has both free range and contained. He's involved in a repopulating endangered breeds project.
He tells me that free range birds have more disputes. He reasons that it doesn't take an intelligent bird long to realise that the consequence of aggression can't be escaped from. If half your options are shut off; fight or flight, then one may be a bit more careful about behavior.This makes a lot of sense to me and chickens, being the masters of adaptation and social living, are I would have thought, likely to come to an arrangement. There is no pecking order in jungle fowl and feral flocks I'm led to believe. It's an adaptation to keeping circumstances.
