Who is the boss?

[Egg-Cellent Eggs]

I have a flock of 13. I would like to know how to tell who is the dominant hen. Thanks!

 

[sorce]

Observe keenly the pecking order.

Sorce

 

[Egg-Cellent Eggs]

How do I do that?

 

[Acre4Me]

Who sleeps/roosts on the top/highest roost?

who eats any treats first and who defers (lower pecking order) until the first ones take treats?

who comes out of coop first when you let them out?

who pecks another once And the other decides to go elsewhere?

 

[Folly's place]

Sit out there with an appropriate drink in your hand and watch.
Dominant individuals walk where they choose, and less dominant birds get out of their way. Eye contact may be enough, or a peck if necessary.
Chicks try each other out by flaring at each other and mildly 'fighting' at first, and over a short time, order is established in the flock.
Cockerels get pushy when puberty hits, so there's more drama then, and occasionally actual fighting.
Game breeds get much tougher sooner!
Mary

 

[Egg-Cellent Eggs]

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[Acre4Me]

Thanks so much for your help!

good luck! Just takes some observation, but when new to chickens sometimes their pecking behavior isn’t obvious. I’ve gotten better at noticing certain behavior the longer I’ve kept chickens.

currently I have a hormonal cockerel and a rooster. One day I came out to the cockerel with many dark splotches on his comb (a Wide Rose comb)...guessing he and rooster had a “discussion”. From cockerels behavior since then, I’m confident rooster won and cockerel won’t challenge again for awhile. Cockerel gives wide berth to rooster and if rooster makes a certain noise the cockerel actually jumps in fear then spots rooster and gets farther away. Now THAT is obvious pecking order stuff. But the single peck of reprimand or the walk where they want vs others getting out of the way, etc take some observation.

 

[Ebony Rose]

If you intend to keep a cockerel/rooster, you need to mirror the dominant behavior that you'll be witnessing now. Chickens speak with body language as well as over 24 distinct sounds/calls. Learning their language now, will reduce the chance of human aggression down the road, mostly brought on by us humans not posturing in ways that your birds understand. Assuming the dominant position while they're young by walking where you want, making them move out of your way. The occasional two finger (index & middle finger held together) tap/poke on the back of the head, neck, shoulders to correct undesired behavior. Giving them 'the look', etc. All of these totally non-painful signals from you will establish your role as top cock / top hen in the flock.
Once that's established, you can allow your more dominant hen to 'fill in' for you while you're off buying groceries, or whatever else it is that 'hooo-mans' do when they're not in the run with their mates.

 

[azygous]

You can't tell by appearance. She won't be wearing a special hat. You need to sit and observe behavior.

Watch for the hen that gets away with coming up to a feeder, giving a subtle peck at the chicken already there eating, and that chicken quickly leaves the feeder. Or watch to see when a hen comes up to a group dirt bathing and pecks the one whose spot she wishes to occupy and that chicken gets up and leaves.

Sometimes the dominant hen is the oldest, as in my flock. My oldest hen is eleven, and Lady Di, a Light Brahma, is still respected. All chickens move out of her way as she moves her ponderous bulk around the run. It's not always the oldest, so watch for any hen that commands this kind of deference.

 

[ashlierami]

How do you tell who the dominant hen is. I have a flock of 13 and I would really like to know! Thanks!!!

It's alittle harder to tell with the girls in my opinion. In my flock my dominant one gets the feeder first she also pecks the other girls if they eat beside her. When it's treat time she doesn't like to share. She's also the first one to roost and complains when the other girls come to bed but she eventually settles down. If there's a hen who's behavior sticks out then she's your girl.