Lap-time Affects Pecking Order?

We have pretty cuddly girls-- 10 in all, some more tame and affectionate than others. Due to some recent injuries, there's been a bit of turbulence in the ladies' hierarchy lately. I'm noticing that the more I hold certain chickens (even ones that don't really want to be held in the first place), the higher they ascend in the pecking order. I know we humans sometimes take the place of a rooster for a flock of hens, thus, our attention becomes a resource, of sorts. Do others with mellow lap chickens notice the same thing? If I have a certain girl who is having a bit of trouble way down at the bottom of the pecking order... do you think holding her more and treating her a bit like a queen will inspire the others to respect her more? Interested to hear your thoughts... Has anyone else managed some bullying with "rooster" favoritism?

 

I'm all for letting them "duke it out," and, having had a backyard flock for ten years now, I understand that some birds are simply gonna live at the bottom of the totem pole, that's just the way flocks work. But there's been a change lately, and my current bottom-ranked girl has gone from simply being the lowest member of the pecking order to being quite severely picked on and beat up. She doesn't have aspirations to be in charge, but it would be nice for her to get her feathers back-- she's going bald! And I don't want her to get hurt. If she were afforded a bit more respect, maybe she'd be left alone, content to be the lowly omega who stays out of trouble and at least lives in peace. I wonder if holding her a lot, talking to her and giving her special treats in my lap, would encourage the others see her in a bit of a different light. I propose this because I feel like I may have unwittingly changed the pecking order in the past when I "picked favorites" and then noticed that those "favored" birds rose in the ranks!