Chicken Pecking Order
Hens establishing a pecking order can be quite disturbing to witness,
but it is actually a good thing because once established it brings order
to the flock.
Conflict within the flock is reduced because each hen knows its place
in the hierarchy. When food is available there are no fights to get
to it first, because the pecking order dictates who gets access when,
the lesser give way to the more dominant in the group.
The top hen gets to have first access to food, water and choice of where
to roost, etc, and the others each have their place in the pecking order,
all the way down to the bird at the bottom which will usually be the last
to have access to the food or choice in anything.
The dominant hen establishes her position at the top by bullying the others
and at times can be quite vicious. There are various tactics she can use,
most commonly blocking other birds from access to the food and water,
and pecking them. Other methods involve jumping on their back and pushing
to the ground, sitting on them when roosting, chasing, rushing at or just
giving them a warning look. She basically makes life unpleasant for them
until they defer to her. This process usually takes a couple of days but
at times can last up to a couple of weeks.
Do not interfere in this process, because it is quite natural and normal
for it to happen. Just watch for any signs of a hen being pecked to the
point where blood is drawn. Chickens can’t resist pecking at an
open wound and will be drawn to the injured hen, pecking at the wound
and making it worse. They are actually capable of pecking another hen
to death. The injured hen should be separated from the group until she
has healed.
If a hen is particularly aggressive, try isolating her from the group
for a while but still within their view. This will have the effect of
bumping her down the pecking order and on her reintroduction to the group
she should settle in to her new position.
Once the order is established it will generally stay that way because
chickens lower in the order are too scared to challenge a chicken higher
up.
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