Odd mating going on

[Alicat4244]

My coop is good size it holds 25 birds we only have 11 in there , there is actually 3 roosts not getting used... they free range so only in there at night . The main hen is 2.... my roo a little over a year . The rest of the flock range from 4mo to 2 yrs. I didnt notice the change till( her actually pecking the other hen while he mated) I rehomed my other cockerel due to not having enough hens. Other than the mating thing... they all still follow him around listen to his warnings and all the other things he's supposed to do .

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

My coop is good size it holds 25 birds we only have 11 in there , there is actually 3 roosts not getting used... they free range so only in there at night . The main hen is 2.... my roo a little over a year . The rest of the flock range from 4mo to 2 yrs. I didnt notice the change till( her actually pecking the other hen while he mated) I rehomed my other cockerel due to not having enough hens. Other than the mating thing... they all still follow him around listen to his warnings and all the other things he's supposed to do .

I guess she's just a moody controlling girl.

 

[Alicat4244]

I guess she's just a moody controlling girl.

Its funny because she adores him. They are always right next to each other

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Chickens have emotions as well as any animal does, so don't say it's all pecking order. If that was the case all top birds would do it. There is more to it than just pecking order.

The pecking order is much more complex than a simple who gets to peck who.

There is also the dynamic of the other flock members and what their place is in the pecking order and no two flocks of chickens are ever just alike. The top hen (rooster too) will change its actions in response to the actions of a submissive bird and those actions will change as the lower ranking birds move up or move down in the pecking order.

This is why it is much easier to reestablish peace by removing, culling, separating, or rehoming the target of an aggressor hen than can be achieved by doing things to the alpha hen to in effect demote her in the flock's pecking order. It always takes two to tango and chicken aggression is no exception.