Just when I thought I understood flock pecking order

[mommissan]

Okay, I have eight hens and one roo. My roo was the youngest and the runt in the flock. Everyone in the flock has unanimously voted him the "bottom" of the pecking order. My BA does all the pecking and bullying. Everyone else is just in the middle, or so I thought. I have a BA/Cochin mix that has gone broody on me AGAIN

Today I picked her up off the nest box and put her out in the run to get her moving around. She scratched a bit then ran back in the coop, mounted a few of the girls

pecked the bully/BA (who quickly got out of her way) and went back to her nest box(empty). My sissy roo walks up and squishes himself in with her and she lets him.



So, she's top bird while she's hormonal? He's her buddy, because he's..... in touch with his feminine side? And, since my BA is normally top bird, I've excused her lack of laying eggs until I get a mature roo in there. So, if she's lost rank to my moody-broody, shouldn't she pay-up and lay me some eggs?

 

[teach1rusl]

That's funny!! Yes, when they're hormonal, they get away with a LOT for some reason. My red silkie is low man of my LF/bantam flock. But when she's broody and comes off the nest for food and a quick dust bath, she cusses and fusses and nobody gets in her way. It's very comical. But once her broodiness is over, she's right back to low man.
And I appreciate a sensitive rooster!! lol

 

[mommissan]

I need to command some respect like that around here! I'll have to take some notes!

 

[FarmerGrant011]

That is too funny! I wonder if my polish will be like that?? That is if she will EVER go broody

 

[mommissan]

I hope she does for you. I've got eggs shipping to me in mid April. I'd rather let her hatch them then use the incubator. My broody lays 3 eggs, then goes broody for 3 weeks, then takes 2 more weeks to start laying again. That's only 30 eggs a year at that rate.

If it helps any, I left fake eggs in the nest boxes to stop them from eating eggs, and she went broody on them. Four eggs seems to do it for her. Pure coincidence, I'm sure but who knows?

 

[Lbrad7]

They great thing about chickens is that they will always figure it out. It may not make sense to us but it does to them.