Little One Stages A Coup!

[Jasmine130]

I've been raising chooks for only a few months and have been enjoying it tremendously.

I have a question regarding pecking order: Does the order change?

In my suburban microflock, this has been the pecking order:

First chooks who arrived together:

1.Celeste (standard, salmon fave)
2. Rosie (standard, EE)

I added:

3. Tina (bantam silkie)

Then added:

4. Oprah (bantam, black mottled cochin)

Lately Tina has been bossing Rosie around. Today, Tina is rushing Celeste, feathers flying, squawkers squawking.

Everyone is laying except Oprah, I think she'll be laying soon.

So do chooks change their pecking order? If so, what inspires these coups? That little Tina is a feisty one.

-Jasmine

 

[AKsmama]

Pecking order is a fluid thing and changes a good bit.

 

[Pinky]

New birds and new layers can upset and change the pecking order.

 

[CCourson05]

I had an alpha hen that was a White Leghorn, but then introduced a Black Orpington to the group, and for the first 2 days, those hens went at it. I know believe the Orpington is the alpha hen. SOO, yes it changes a lot. Especially when introducing new girls to the flock.

 

[elmo]

Yes. Chicken society is really a lot more complex than we realize at first. I call it my chicken soap opera.