What the heck??????????????

[Chicken Chicken Love]

So I have no idea what's happening! The flock took a major role change. Ever since we have had the girl's big mack/Mackenzie has been the lead female and she has held strong for 23 weeks. Now, all of a sudden, Stella Klaire our girl that was lowest in the flock but protected by one of the other higher on the pecking order girls, is now head of the flock and mad with power! She pecks at big mack and bosses everybody else and NO ONE messes with her, big mack runs from her. Why did this major role change happen? Is there anything I can do to stop her from being mean to the other girls?

 

[SabongStuff]

I would lock up the trouble maker for a few day’s until roles change again to a more calmer headed bird.

After two or three days in confinement the other birds should establish a new pecking order.

 

[sourland]

The pecking order is an ever changing process with lower ranked birds aspiring to increase their position. It's normal chicken politics.

 

[Chicken Chicken Love]

The pecking order is an ever changing process with lower ranked birds aspiring to increase their position. It's normal chicken politics.

I was just surprised to see my lower in the pecking order girl take control especially after big mack has always been top hen

 

[azygous]

Anything can interrupt the pecking order, causing a reorganizing of ranks. Loss or introduction of a new chicken, illness or injury, a traumatic predator attack, even rodents or parasites making life uncomfortable and unsettling.

Sometimes it's something too subtle for us humans to notice. A dominant hen may have reached a point where she no longer feels the energy needed to maintain her rank, and stops asserting herself or a younger hen may notice and offer to challenge her. The resulting conflict can happen in seconds and be over with before you will notice anything happened.

It may seem to us to happen suddenly and for no reason, but chickens, as @sourland says, have their politics and it's not for us to understand.

 

[Chicken Chicken Love]

Anything can interrupt the pecking order, causing a reorganizing of ranks. Loss or introduction of a new chicken, illness or injury, a traumatic predator attack, even rodents or parasites making life uncomfortable and unsettling.

Sometimes it's something too subtle for us humans to notice. A dominant hen may have reached a point where she no longer feels the energy needed to maintain her rank, and stops asserting herself or a younger hen may notice and offer to challenge her. The resulting conflict can happen in seconds and be over with before you will notice anything happened.

It may seem to us to happen suddenly and for no reason, but chickens, as @sourland says, have their politics and it's not for us to understand.

I don't know if this is it but, big mack just started to squat for me. So I was thinking maybe Stella klaire picked up on that submission

 

[azygous]

Absolutely! That could do it!

 

[MarkJr]

Stella possibly be Stan????

 

[cmom]

I don't know if this is it but, big mack just started to squat for me. So I was thinking maybe Stella klaire picked up on that submission

Are they laying yet?

 

[Brandy2512]

I had some serious pecking order changes when they began laying.