In a mixed flock who is your alpha hen and who is on the bottom?

[teach1rusl]

Mine aren't quite 6 weeks yet, so I'm still trying to figure that out...lol. It's not obvious yet...

 

[CKMom]

I am still not sure at 23 weeks. The EEs definitely were picked and plucked more than the others. I have a Barred Cochin who seems low on the order, but she will challenge the rooster, and he will back down every time. The one BO seems to be in charge though and is submissive to the rooster now.
The Dominiques are somewhere in the middle.

 

[Rocky Top Chick]

Mine just all get along. I don't notice a head hen really and they are 6 months old. I do know that the smallest (a russian orloff) is on the bottom of the pecking order. They really do not bother her, but I do notice that she stands to the side if I throw in sunflower seeds, but other than that, they all play just fime together.

 

[augustmomx2]

"Boss Hog" our Silver-Laced Wyandotte is the alpha. She refuses to allow anyone eat near her while she is eating out of the feeder. She also sleeps on the top roost in the corner where everyone else is.

One of my EEs is @ the bottom. She has to sneak in treats and eats only when the others are distracted. She sleeps on a top roost as well, but not near the others...a little spot that is not meant to be a roost

Boss Hog is going in the Spring, those Wyandottes aren't laying as often as I would like...

 

[MiddleMan]

In our little flock, the top bird is our Buff Orpington, Tink. The next three are Bell the Easter Egger. Speck the Speckled Sussex. the others are all in the middle somewhere. The bottom bird is our Salmon Faverolle.
I always thought it was a little odd she is on the bottom of the pecking order as we have 5 bantams in our flock all of which are half her size or less.

 

[cthrash1]

I have a mixed flock of girlys only
1. Barred Rock
2. Blue Ameraucana
3. Buff Cochin
4. Black Australorp
5. Pheonix/Game mix
6. EE
7. Buff Columbian Cochin Bantam
8. Blue Andalusian(except the game mix is afraid of her)
9. EE

 

[patman75]

I have indroduced my EE and Specled Sussex to my flock of 4 and they are getting picked on pretty good, I have them in my fenced in garden so there is a lot of chaising. My SLW is doing the most pecking. I guess she is tired of being the Omega.

They dont do any pecking and chaising when I'm in the garden with them. The EE and Sussex try to stay close to me for protection. If the pecking gets to much i poke and chaise the 4 older hens to show them whos boss. My 4 older hens are so gentle all the time until the new pullets joined in.

 

[wundernurse]

Well, when I had my group of 7 girls (5 have died) the pecking order was:

RIR on TOP--she is a tyrant
SLW
SLW
Then all three EE and my BO seemed to share the bottom equally


My RIR and BO are the only 2 left, and she still is the BOSS.

 

[PortageGirl]

I have a 5 EEs and 8 Golden Comets. One of the EEs is at the top, and one is at the bottom. The one at the bottom is an odd color, so I think that's part of the problem with her (in addition to her timid personality) the one at the top has another close to her in color, so she has 'support' (and a very sharp beak.)

 

[OstaraGypsy]

in my first flock of 7 birds, Blackie (the black australorp) was on top and proud of it!, and all the EE's were on the bottom in an unobservable order. . .

then Blackie was killed by a roaming neighborhood dog

i can just imagine her strutting up to that dog to show who's boss, and sticking her head out of the fence....

my flock never stabilized after Blackie's death, and there was so much pecking and no order to the flock. we slowly lost a few more chickens over the next 2 years, until we decided to sell the remaining ones to start over with a new flock of youngsters....

now it seems in my current flock my momma hen (splash orpington) is the boss. her babies being on the bottom, with a little silkie cross the absolute bottom (but she might be my fav....).