Pecking Order – Chicken Hierarchy
Chickens are very social creatures. They do better in a group but there is a hierarchy, the pecking order.
I’ve heard this term all my life, generally, when referring to the corporate world with the boss at the top. Once chickens establish their pecking order, there is harmony in the flock. When you introduce new birds, it can disrupt the pecking order if the new birds challenge it.
When you see the pecking order in action, you may want to intervene. Try not to. It only delays the process. However, if you have a bully that is picking on the others and causing injuries, you may want to separate the bully. Also, depending on the injuries, you may need to separate the injured bird. Luckily, we haven’t had to do this. Our girls know their place. Trudy, our Leghorn, makes sure!
Roosters
If you have a rooster, he will be at the top. His role is to protect the girls and he will do this to his death. If no rooster, one of the hens will take on this role. Trudy has done this. It is her job to alert any of the girls of danger. She has a specific call if she sees something unusual. It could be an airplane or a hawk.
Last week it was a helium balloon that flew into our yard. This really freaked her out! She squawked and they all ran to the bushes. I really thought something was after them. But when I looked around, it was a birthday balloon with bright colors, bobbing up and down, and making a rustling sound. I can only imagine what she thought.
When dealing with roosters, some can be quite vicious.
It’s also the rooster’s job to provide for his girls. He may think you are threatening his status by giving food, treats, or water.
Our girls think my husband is the rooster, which is where his nickname came from. If you have more than one rooster, they will often challenge each other. It usually starts with eyeing each other up. They will put their heads down and circle around. If you see this behavior towards yourself or another member of the family, be cautious but stand your ground. They will try and jump on you using their spurs. If you have kids or grandkids, most roosters will feel threatened if they are playing or running around.
Establishing the Pecking Order
The chicks will start to try and establish the pecking order when they are two to three weeks old. Finally, after a couple of months, it should be established. The stronger birds will be at the top and the weaker submissive birds are at the bottom. Trudy is our smallest bird but has a huge spirited personality. She’s bossy and acts a little anxious, but early on she established her dominance over the other girls.
Usually, the pecking order starts with just a few pecks. Sometimes to the feet or back but when that doesn’t work, it becomes more aggressive to the head, face, and comb. You may see dark, dried blood spots on the comb when this happens. They will also flap their wings and chest bump, sometimes charging at each other.
Bullying
The bully is usually in the middle of the pecking order. However, Buttercup, who is second in line, tends to be our bully. She’s trying to keep her status and sometimes I think she’s protective of Trudy. She never challenges Trudy. It’s always towards the other girls.
Marble can also be a bully but only to Clara, who is at the very bottom. She runs Clara off from food, not because she’s hungry but because she just doesn’t want her to have it.
The birds at the top of the pecking order get to eat first and have the best spots on the roost bars. Generally, they will be on the top roost and towards the back. The birds on the lower roost are more accessible to predators. So, the higher the roost, the safer they are.
Trudy is the first to roost. She gets her spot and the other girls tend to squabble over their places. My husband used to go out at night to make sure no one got too beat up. However, now that it’s getting dark so early, many nights he’s not home before they go to bed. They usually work it out but sometimes, Trudy will get aggravated with the games and pecks them to put them in their place.
When it comes to food and water, the lower girls will get run off. Clara gets chased by everyone. She finally gets to eat when all the girls have had their fill.
When we give treats, my husband started spreading them around. Clara will grab a bite then run off to eat it. We do this routinely to help cut down on the fights, plus I put several feeders around. I usually give scratch or mealworms last to distract the top girls so Clara can get some food. It’s also a good idea to have the food and water in a centralized open area and not in the corner. This will allow everyone more access.
Adding new birds to your flock
We’ve added birds successfully to our flock twice. When we first got new girls, we did the right things in regard to the pecking order but not concerning illnesses. Be sure and check out that blog.
Never add less than two birds to your current flock. This way the new girls have a small flock or a partner when trying to integrate. Adding just one will surely lead to injuries.
Make sure you have plenty of room for all the birds. Each bird needs 12 inches of roost bar and 10 square feet in the run. If you have a rooster, you should have a minimum of 10 hens per rooster. Also, it’s recommended to have 3 nest boxes per ten hens (although mine all want to use the same one).
Quarantine
It’s best to quarantine for 30 days to make sure the new birds are free from any disease or illness. Illness can spread quickly with a flock. You don’t want to lose all your birds by adding a sick one to the group.
After quarantine, my husband added a temporary enclosure inside the run. The girls could look at each other without any fighting. If there are no serious quarrels after a week, let them free range together with supervision. Expect some wing flapping and minor squabbles. Just watch and make sure there are no serious injuries. We had a little chest bumping, feather pulling, and chasing but the new girls settled in pretty quickly at the bottom of the pecking order.
Last fall, Trudy was the victim of a possible hawk attack.
When chickens are injured, the other birds will pick on them sometimes even causing death. Trudy was limping and there were feathers all over the run but I couldn’t find any lacerations, puncture wounds, or blood. I needed to monitor her so I quarantined her in my bathroom. My only thought is she was too heavy for the hawk to carry off.
The following day, I took her outside in the guinea pig cage so she could see the girls. I didn’t want them to forget her. I would say it was because I didn’t want the pecking order disrupted but she’s my favorite and really, I didn’t want her to lose her spot. She sat in the cage for a few minutes and it seemed the other girls were happy to see her. I let her out and they just relaxed soaking up the sun. She slept inside again that night and the following evening I reunited her with the flock.
If you have to quarantine a bird for more than 48 hours due to injury or being a bully, I recommend you slowly reintroduce them to the flock. It’s also a good practice to quarantine any new birds before integrating them. The temporary enclosure inside the run has worked well for us.
Just remember, the pecking order keeps harmony in the flock. You may occasionally have a bird that tries to “one up.” This is normal behavior and you shouldn’t intervene unless there is a serious injury. Be sure and check out my blog on Chicken First Aid in case you need it.
