How can I tell who is top hen?

[Alex15]

I've had my chicks since day olds and they're now 13 weeks and I'm just wondering if this pecking order thing is meant to be obvious? I have a silkie rooster, a silkie hen, 2 australorps, a wyandotte, a sussex and 2 welsummers. I think my welsummers are at the top (but the two equally?) as they seem to be the more aggressive ones. They sometimes peck feet on the roost as if they dont want the others next to them lol and sometimes I've seen just the two of them on the roost while the other 4 are roosting on this shelf bit next to the roost as if they've been kicked off!

But the rest of them all seem the same? Noone picks on my TINY silkie hen (she's at least half the size of everyone else) and she doesn't start anything with the others. Then the two lorps, the wyandotte, the sussex and the silkie roo have little stand offs OCCASIONALLY, but it seems to be random who 'wins'. But mostly I actually think its my roo starting (and often losing lol) little stand offs. Bur for example I cant remember ever seeing my lorps and the wyandotte have stand offs, and neither do the lorps have stand offs with eachother?

So other than the welsummers, who I'm guessing are top hen, but im not even positive, as they're also mellow a lot of the time, is everyone even? Or how do I tell the order? Or do they work it out more as they get older? Also my light sussex is by far the biggest, does this play a part too?

Theyre also really good with food and everyone lets everyone in for a feed! Ive even seen my silkie hen eating from a feeder from between the legs of one of the bigger hens!

This is my first flock and I'm just curious!

 

[Jesseyinpink]

I have only had chickens for about 4 weeks so I'm wondering the same question. We have 5 hens- 2 Ameraucanas, 2 Jersey Giants, and a Welsummer. Our Wellie also seems to be the more "dominant" one. She eats first (especially scratch) but did let our littlest Jersey Giant steal a spider from her beak on Sunday. She's bigger and seems to know it but doesn't really bully any of the other girls.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

May have to repeat the experiment a few times, but throw in a treat and see who eats it first. Something that can't be swallowed in one gulp.

 

[Hayduke27]

I have 13 chickens, 1 is a rooster, hens are a mix of breeds. I can say this much for sure: I have a little, tiny, itty bitty Golden Seabrite, and she is the most aggressive chicken in the flock. She is less than half the size of any of the other chickens, but she does a lot of kicking and pecking, and nobody wants to mess with her. She's a hellion!