Leader of the flock? Pecking order?

[MommyGirl]

Hello everyone! I have a flock of 26 hens no roosters. I hear people all the time talk about their pecking order and Hen in charge. My question is how in the world do y’all figure out the order or even know who is top hen. Maybe I have too many to figure this out but I’ve been keeping chickens for 3 years and I spend a lot of time watching them and reading about chickens on here. I have no idea on this order. I could maybe tell you which hens are closer to the top and which are the bottom but other than that I don’t have a clue. Just curious how to figure this out even though it’s not really important I guess. Thanks BYC! Y’all are great!

 

[Debbie292d]

Not everyone has a "top hen," but you'd know it if you had one. She'd be the "bully" that pecks other hens so she can have the food to herself. When she's done, others can eat. She's also the one who gets her choice of nests and will jump in and peck the hen in hers and they jump out immediately. There are other behaviors, but mostly it's her just acting like she's the queen hen.

Some breeds are more particular than others about pecking order.

 

[Smokerbill]

I can't tell which of my hens is at the top of the order, but I can sure tell which one is at the bottom.