Pecking order in a two-hen household

[DustBathSpaDay]

Hi! I just lost my little rooster, Ollie, a barred Cochin bantam who lived with us as a house pet and family member for eleven years, wearing diapers and coexisting happily with all the other pets. I'm ready to bring home another chicken--a hen this time--and I'd like to raise her as I did Ollie, but have been advised to have two hens, not just one. My concern is about pecking. If the "flock" consists of only two hens, will they still fight to establish a pecking order?
Thanks very much!
Rebecca

 

[azygous]

It depends. If you get two adult hens that haven't known each other before, they will "negotiate" their ranks in relationship to each other. It may or may not involve a brief fight.

If you wish to pretty much guarantee your future two hens will get along peacefully, get two baby chick pullets and raise them up together. That way they will have a life-long bond and pecking order disagreements will be minimal to non-existent.

The added benefit of getting two baby chicks is that they will also imprint on you and your family and become very friendly. The trick to making people friendly chicks is to be careful not to pick them up by thrusting your hands at them from above (like an attacking hawk) but to approach them from the side on their level.

 

[DustBathSpaDay]

Thanks for this information and advice. I may be getting Silkie Bantam pullets, so this is reassuring. I appreciate your thoughtful reply.

 

[Chickassan]

When you get your new chicks if you can keep them in a room where you stay most of the time it will help a huge amount with how they bond with you. Most folks don't do this due to the mess but I do since I only brood a few at a time and I enjoy them being very freindly. You should have little to no pecking order issues if you only have two and raise them in your space.

 

[DustBathSpaDay]

When you get your new chicks if you can keep them in a room where you stay most of the time it will help a huge amount with how they bond with you. Most folks don't do this due to the mess but I do since I only brood a few at a time and I enjoy them being very freindly. You should have little to no pecking order issues if you only have two and raise them in your space.

Oh, that’s just what I plan to do! I’m so glad to hear that you agree! Ollie lived in the house, and I agree with you...it made all of us very close. Thanks very much for your reply!

 

[feathermaid]

I read a little about your beloved rooster on your other site and I think you'll take wonderful care of your new birds. I don't know much about keeping chickens in the house... and using the diapers. With pullets, they will be laying eggs after about 6 months, so how will that work? I'm sure you'll want to keep nest boxes for them too. And a dust bath area because that's the healthiest way for chickens to keep their skin clean.
I'm curious to know how all that will be set up in your house... or do you plan to keep them in a coop outside once they mature?

 

[DustBathSpaDay]

I read a little about your beloved rooster on your other site and I think you'll take wonderful care of your new birds. I don't know much about keeping chickens in the house... and using the diapers. With pullets, they will be laying eggs after about 6 months, so how will that work? I'm sure you'll want to keep nest boxes for them too. And a dust bath area because that's the healthiest way for chickens to keep their skin clean.
I'm curious to know how all that will be set up in your house... or do you plan to keep them in a coop outside once they mature?

I'm bringing together all their indoor "furniture" now! I have a coop for them to sleep in and have nesting boxes all ready. I also have a big square run for them that I'll keep in the living room through the winter so they can play together and hang out with everybody without getting stepped on by our big dog, and so the other pets can get used to them without getting too close. I'll move it outside when it gets warm so they can play out there when I'm indoors. When I'm out with them, they'll be free to "free range"! There's a nice dirt bath area in the garden that Ollie loved and that I've kept covered so it'll be good for them when they're ready.
Ollie always spent a good bit of time outside when it was nice out, and so will these girls.
They'll sleep indoors, though. We have a hawk nearby who has always made me nervous, and a lot of nocturnal critters. Ollie always liked his bedtime routine and seemed very happy to go to bed in his room. I don't think it was bad for him since he lived to be eleven and never had any illness until he developed testicular cancer.
I'll have to consult the folks at chickendiapers.com or other folks on BackYard Chickens who have indoor chickens about handling egg laying for hens who use diapers indoors!
I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on how to know when a hen is about to lay an egg so I can learn how to anticipate that and get their pants off!
Thanks so much for your thoughtful note, "Flappy Feathers"! It's a pleasure meeting you!

 

[Ginmary]

I have a silkie roo who was supposed to be a pullet. I can't think of giving him up so he may end up becoming a house roo. I would like to know what brand of diapers you used and how often you needed to change them. I'm hoping he starts getting along with our 3 hens but we are in a development and will most likely have to bring him in at night so there's no chance of him crowing in the morning.

 

[azygous]

It's easy to tell when a hen needs to lay an egg. She will usually get very vocal (not the egg song), and she will seem to have a sense of urgency. She may act distracted and pace back and forth while she scolds and chatters. Those are usually the obvious ones. Yours may be more discrete.

Most hens will prefer to lay at certain times of the day, and you'll get to know when that is for your hen. Make the nest available, and even if she gets into the nest before you can remove the diaper, you'll have time before she lays the egg.

 

[DustBathSpaDay]

I have a silkie roo who was supposed to be a pullet. I can't think of giving him up so he may end up becoming a house roo. I would like to know what brand of diapers you used and how often you needed to change them. I'm hoping he starts getting along with our 3 hens but we are in a development and will most likely have to bring him in at night so there's no chance of him crowing in the morning.

These little roos are so charming, I can understand your never wanting to give him up. I felt the same way when Ollie first "coughed" and we realized he wasn't going to be a hen!
I got my diapers at Chickendiapers.com. They always fit fine and were of great quality. I lined them with minipads and sewed snaps on them to make it easier to get them on and off. Their website is offline now, but it looks like they're coming back. You can also get diapers on Amazon, but they might not be custom made like the ones at ChickenDiapers.

I got him up and "dressed" around 8 AM and changed the diapers about every four to six hours. Since I started using the diapers when he was a little fella, there was never any problem.

Wearing the diapers meant that he had the full run of the house and was just like any other pet. We took his presence for granted, but anyone who came to do work on the house was surprised when he came running into the kitchen to check them out.

Regarding the crowing, I gave him his own bedroom and kept it dark at night, and he went to bed at 7 PM and didn't crow until 6:30 AM. Very civilized. Loud, but civilized!