I am new to raising chickens. I have 8 pullets, 23ish weeks old. I got them all at the same time back in the beginning of April. I read a lot of pecking order and I understand what it is. But I don't think I've really seen it in action with my group. What should I look for to see who is high and who is low in the pecking order?
Pecking order is...Rushing another bird..pecking...Chasing, chest bumping...Top hens eat first, get all the treats first...Best roosting spots... Sit and watch for an hour...you will figure it out... Cheers!
Description above of behaviors is good. You may not be able to tell definitively who is highest and who is lowest, it's often very subtle.....and it can change.
Change they can and drastically. My pullet once known as little one is now called Blondie. She was the runt of the flock, lighter in color and lowest ranking. Around 23 weeks things changed, she is now queen of the flock. A few days ago when locking up the coop for the night, I noticed her pecking another on the head and that pullet jumped to the lower roost. The next night I went out about a half hour after sunset and she was the only bird on the upper roost and was trying to peck the birds on the lower roost. And I have witnessed her dominance in the pen when feeding scratch. I used to leave a night light on all night. But now I turn it off when I lock up the coop. The light is now just for them to see to get on the roost. GC
