Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ribh]

Yeah, the pecking order is a strange animal. Mine seems to be constantly evolving. I have a weird BR. When I got her she was a bit of a loner but settled & became 2nd hen. Then we got new POLs & she was the biggest, meanest bully. I could hardly believe her. With the loss of the Australorps she became top chook but doesn't really seem to care for the position, has reverted to being something of a loner & rarely asserts her authority. One of my Favorelles seems to be heading for that position. Most of the breeds I now have are on the more timid side & there is little squabbling but a constant shift in positions ~ as roosting time shows.

 

[BY Bob]

Yeah, the pecking order is a strange animal. Mine seems to be constantly evolving. I have a weird BR. When I got her she was a bit of a loner but settled & became 2nd hen. Then we got new POLs & she was the biggest, meanest bully. I could hardly believe her. With the loss of the Australorps she became top chook but doesn't really seem to care for the position, has reverted to being something of a loner & rarely asserts her authority. One of my Favorelles seems to be heading for that position. Most of the breeds I now have are on the more timid side & there is little squabbling but a constant shift in positions ~ as roosting time shows.

Good idea, I need to watch them roost tonight on the camera and see what happens. The last couple of nights Maleficent went in last. She used to go in next to last and Aurora was last. I wonder.

 

[Ribh]

Good idea, I need to watch them roost tonight on the camera and see what happens. The last couple of nights Maleficent went in last. She used to go in next to last and Aurora was last. I wonder.

I have a huge amount of roosting space. I could have 20 more chooks & not be overcrowded ~ but I also have some very large birds! Some nights all 10 are happily perched on the top bar. Other nights I have up to 4 on the middle bar & some nights Lottie on her own on the bottom bar. If it's looking like it'll be cold I shove her in between 2 others. My top chooks always seem to be first to roost but my best foragers ~ Campines & 1 Favorelle~ are always last but they always get a top roost.

 

[BY Bob]

I have a huge amount of roosting space. I could have 20 more chooks & not be overcrowded ~ but I also have some very large birds! Some nights all 10 are happily perched on the top bar. Other nights I have up to 4 on the middle bar & some nights Lottie on her own on the bottom bar. If it's looking like it'll be cold I shove her in between 2 others. My top chooks always seem to be first to roost but my best foragers ~ Campines & 1 Favorelle~ are always last but they always get a top roost.

Lately mine have been roosting in order. Lilly goes to bed first, then Hattie, etc. The teenagers stay out to all hours. Tonight Aurora was last. No as shenanigans at all. Not what I expected.

 

[Ribh]

Lately mine have been roosting in order. Lilly goes to bed first, then Hattie, etc. The teenagers stay out to all hours. Tonight Aurora was last. No as shenanigans at all. Not what I expected.

I'm not sure my lot's roosting habits have anything to do with the pecking order. It seems to be more about space & who's getting along with whom.

 

[Ali James]

All this chicken psychology is fascinating. (There’s a sentence I never thought I’d write...)

I’m reading with much interest in anticipation of getting my girls next month.

Out of interest, how does the pecking order work in large flocks? We will be getting our girls from a supplier who free ranges a flock of 50 ‘for sale’ birds. How do 50 girls work out the pecking order and how do you think it is reshuffled by the four of them who then establish a small flock?

 

[Ribh]

All this chicken psychology is fascinating. (There’s a sentence I never thought I’d write...)

I’m reading with much interest in anticipation of getting my girls next month.

Out of interest, how does the pecking order work in large flocks? We will be getting our girls from a supplier who free ranges a flock of 50 ‘for sale’ birds. How do 50 girls work out the pecking order and how do you think it is reshuffled by the four of them who then establish a small flock?

You will notice your girls chest bumping, wing flapping @ each other, standing over other chooks & pecking @ each other. The hen who backs down drops down the social order. All flocks work the same way irregardless of size. The top hen gets first pick @ the food, the best food, 1st pick of roosting spot etc When everyone is starting new it doesn't usually take too long for the girls to work out who's @ the top & who's @ the bottom & it doesn't usually get nasty. When you introduce new girls to an established flock it can get nasty.

Edited to ask: what breed/s are you getting? That may may a difference. Some breeds are more aggressive/domineering than others.

 

[Ribh]

Lately mine have been roosting in order. Lilly goes to bed first, then Hattie, etc. The teenagers stay out to all hours. Tonight Aurora was last. No as shenanigans at all. Not what I expected.

Tonight I was actually around when my girls went to roost. Usually I just duck out later to check on them. All my Brs went into the coop first but only the top 2 roosted. The other girl milled about on the floor. The BRs took an end of the top roost each & took on all comers. One Campine & 1 Favorelle managed to nab a corner together. Soda went apecking but they just turned their backs & hunkered down.Lavender & Lottie [frizzle & wyandotte bantam] took the 2nd roost & cuddled together. One Campine & 1 Favorelle managed to nab the middle, & everyone else just waited for an opening on the top roost & took it. A fair bit of pecking went on as the BRs tried to discourage everyone else but they all held their ground ~ except for the Australorp bantam, who is high up the pecking order [like 3rd] who suddenly decided she preferred the 2nd roost. By the time the light was dying they'd all decided to be best friends & cuddled up together.

 

[BY Bob]

You will notice your girls chest bumping, wing flapping @ each other, standing over other chooks & pecking @ each other. The hen who backs down drops down the social order. All flocks work the same way irregardless of size. The top hen gets first pick @ the food, the best food, 1st pick of roosting spot etc When everyone is starting new it doesn't usually take too long for the girls to work out who's @ the top & who's @ the bottom & it doesn't usually get nasty. When you introduce new girls to an established flock it can get nasty.

Edited to ask: what breed/s are you getting? That may may a difference. Some breeds are more aggressive/domineering than others.

@Ali James The hardest thing will be not interfering. It all seems mean and possible vicious to our eyes but it is usually just normal for them. I try to make sure no one is seriously injured and like a rooster I make sure the bottom of the order gets their share of treats. If there were to be serious bullying I would remove the offending hen for a while but I have really never had to interfere.

Chickens have a complex social structure and I love to watch the interplay between then all.

A quick Daisy story. Daisy was undisputed alpha of our 3 hens at that time. She would peck a little at Patsy on the roost at night but nothing serious. They roosted, next to each other in order from left to right,
1 Daisy
2 Patsy
3 Lilly

Frankly, I always thought that Patsy was exceptionally mean to Lilly on the roost. Occasionally when Patsy was being too mean Daisy would intervene by grabbing Patsy's comb and violently shaking her head with it. That always stopped Patsy.

A good alpha hen will keep things running well.

Now alphas expect first dibs of all food. Daisy was not a great scratcher but she quickly figured out that Patsy was. Patsy had big strong legs and she could dig. So Daisy would hang out all day with Patsy. As Patsy dug, Daisy would stick her head in the freshly cleared area and take first choice of what was brought up. It was astonishing to watch because Patsy was much larger than that little leghorn but she let it go on.

You can see Daisy checking out what Patsy has dug up in this photo. The day in the garden she did not scratch once. She let Patsy do all the work.

Pecking order is determined less by the size of the chicken but more by the size if the fight in the chicken.

It's kind of sad right now to watch Aurora and Maleficent. Since the change is order, Maleficent is reminding Aurora everytime they get near each other. Frankly this means the two of them are alone a lot right now as Aurora runs away when she gets close. Meanwhile Hattie and Lilly continue to hang together. This will eventually pass but for now it's a little sad.

 

[Ali James]

You will notice your girls chest bumping, wing flapping @ each other, standing over other chooks & pecking @ each other. The hen who backs down drops down the social order. All flocks work the same way irregardless of size. The top hen gets first pick @ the food, the best food, 1st pick of roosting spot etc When everyone is starting new it doesn't usually take too long for the girls to work out who's @ the top & who's @ the bottom & it doesn't usually get nasty. When you introduce new girls to an established flock it can get nasty.

Edited to ask: what breed/s are you getting? That may may a difference. Some breeds are more aggressive/domineering than others.

Hi Ribh,

Thanks for the info; I'm going to watch with interest when they arrive!

This is a link to the supplier we will be using. Are there any breeds they have you would suggest? (Ignore the sold out bits - the website is not fully up to date)
https://www.upsonscountrystore.co.uk/poultry/hens/