No Pecking order

[Meggers]

Hi! I have 5 4 week old chicks that came from a hatchery in a box together. They are 3 Buff Orpingtons and 2 Speckled Sussex. They don‘t seem to have a pecking order and I just wanted to ask do they have one and I’m just not seeing it? Or are they like bonded and just haven’t established one?

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Even among an adult flock the pecking order isn't always obvious. You can generally tell who is toward the bottom and who is toward the top, but it isn't always a permanent order. I have enough birds that I feel many will share the same tier rather than a stacked order if that makes sense. It's much less obvious in chicks in my experience, but they are still learning. You may notice when they chase each other while carrying a twig or something interesting? This little game is just one of the ways they work to establish a pecking order.

 

[Acre4Me]

It likely changes by the hour in chicks! But, a pecking order isn’t really very obvious until they are older. It is VERY obvious that chicks are at the bottom of the pecking order if you have a mixed age flock, but within a batch of chicks, it will take awhile to see.

when they are older, around laying age or after they all start to lay eggs,then it will be more clear as to who is top girl. Watch to see who always comes out of the coop first when you open the pop door. If you give them a treat in a container where they have to approach it and eat, watch who comes in undisturbed and watch who pecks whom. Lower pecking order birds will wait their turn, higher pecking order aren’t bothered.

 

[Mrs. K]

If you have adequate space, the pecking order is less obvious, but I agree with ^^ as to tiers of pecking order, especially if you have a lot of chickens. I think in very small flock, which tend to be kept in pretty small set ups, it is more obvious. But I also agree, it is not rigid, more fluid at times.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

If you have adequate space, the pecking order is less obvious, but I agree with ^^ as to tiers of pecking order, especially if you have a lot of chickens. I think in very small flock, which tend to be kept in pretty small set ups, it is more obvious. But I also agree, it is not rigid, more fluid at times.

Fluid. That was what I was going for!

Watch to see who always comes out of the coop first when you open the pop door. If you give them a treat in a container where they have to approach it and eat, watch who comes in undisturbed and watch who pecks whom. Lower pecking order birds will wait their turn, higher pecking order aren’t bothered.

I've watched this before, but it's a different bird each time. Sometimes even the bird I consider closest to the bottom of the pecking order. The one i suspect is closest to the top, the oldest hen in my flock of 11 and my Roo's favorite, she is always the last out but the first to peck someone on the back of the head for getting in her way during snack time. Chickens are weird.

 

[TK421]

If you have adequate space, the pecking order is less obvious,.

x3. Figure out a treat they love, then toss them “ too few“ of them. If you have 4 chickens, give them 1. If you have 10, give them 2 or 3 and watch them a long time, or every time you do it. If they love worms, make 1 small pile and see who gets excluded or who voluntarily backs away. She who always seems to take the treat is on top, and she who seems to “Know her place” and waits in the back is towards the bottom. I’ve looked and failed to see an absolute correlation between pecking order and morning coop emergence or nightly coop entrance. With my small flock, it’s usually the top girl, but probably only 60%of the time.

 

[Sae]

My chickens have a pecking circle lol. Theres an order except the chicken on the bottom picks on the chicken on the top. Its odd to me! But everyone has someone to pick on.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome to the forum, glad you joined.

I agree with the others. They have a pecking order already established but it is fluid. At that age there is a lot of change going on in maturity so it can be really fluid. As they age the change will slow down but when they go through puberty it can change again. It's often not very obvious.

The purpose of the pecking order is to keep peace in the flock. They each know their place and who has what privileges. In times of plenty, like when the feeder is always full, there is not much concern about privileges. At that age they are still sleeping in a group on the brooder floor so it's not obvious, but when they start roosting the ones at the top of the pecking order get to sleep wherever they want. That's typically when I see the pecking order. If one knocks others out of the way or pecks them to get to a specific spot on the roosts, that one is higher in the pecking order.

Keep observing and asking questions. But mainly enjoy them. I find chick TV better than anything on cable, dish, or antenna.

 

[Meggers]

Thank you all for your responses!