Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Sylvester017]

You and I will not agree on this.

My group has a clear linear pecking order.

1. Aurora
2. Hattie
3. Sydney
4. Aster
5. Lady Featherington
6. Niamh
7. Nimue

But according to you, I do not have my chickens in a natural state so perhaps they have an unnatural society.

Despite the fact that they have unlimited food and water, my lot must have chosen to have a pecking order because they are contained.

I have watched my chickens closely as well since 2014 and have documented those observations here since 2016. Utilizing both in person and camera-based observations. If you are interested in my pecking order observations, feel free to read through the thread.

I have watched chickens advance in the order by being the first pullet to lay and then lose that position when the hen they passed starts laying and wrestles the spot back from them. I can tell by little behaviors who is ahead in the order. That's how I know Niamh is ahead of Nimue. There has never been any vicious pecking between them. If you are not attuned to the small details, you would never know.

I can also say that others who keep chickens in similar conditions and numbers to me do not have easily defined pecking orders.

Based on my conversations with others, the more chickens in the group the more fluid the pecking orders are. Even so, most will tell you who their lead hen(s) are. This tells me that there is some kind of established order even if it is not easily perceived by humans. Do you have a lead hen(s)?

To my thinking, chickens choose what kind of a society they wish to live in. Some, like mine, have a strict hierarchical society, while others have chosen a less strict more equalitarian society.

I submit that just because you don't see or recognize it, it doesn't mean there isn't some structure to your chicken's society.

But it could be that you are right and your chickens have forgone any kind of order to their society. Perhaps your chickens have chosen a true egalitarian society. I have no way of knowing.

What I can tell you is that mine have a strict hierarchical society and I don't believe it is because they are behind a fence in the suburbs. I chose to believe that they have chosen this way to live and would do so even with unlimited space.

I'm thinking roo/s may have an affect on flock behavior too. We never had a fliock roo cuz of zoning so we've only dealt w/ hens... & some hens can become really nasty to the point that rehoming was our only option a couple times.

By far, Char was our worst... to the point we feared she could kill our little Silkie Violet

Char was rehomed w/ a rescue friend ~ a very tall heavy bird, sweet w/ humans but she detested our little Silkie

 

[SimpleJenn]

Today was the day

Bye boys, have fun with your new family.

Here they were cuddling and complaining

I'm not crying, you're crying


Also they gave me nearly 4 DOZEN eggs and want to ship more to me in the fall. Hubby and I thought we were getting a dozen silkie eggs.....
Hubby says he's going to find us a shed for a new coop.

 

[Ponypoor]

You need more daylight Sun sets at half past ten here, doesn't actually get dark until closer to midnight (we never get official nighttime dark this time of year, just twilight).

Sunrise is just after 4am, so the teens are taking themselves to bed by half past seven and the babies are only about an hour behind them.

Oh yes you are at a high latitude there for sure

I know the ‘midnight sun’ having worked in the far north. Black garbage bags on my room window solves the light problem. And yes I have thought of putting darkening drapes in the Hen House but need the air flow with the windows unfortunately!

My older gals head to ‘bed’ around 7 also, but those youngsters of mine are just brats! Always something interesting to find and dig up in the barn! Like juicy fresh horse poop.

 

[Ponypoor]

I us one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time.

I love how he pecks her hair

 

[thistlewick]

You and I will not agree on this.

My group has a clear linear pecking order.

1. Aurora
2. Hattie
3. Sydney
4. Aster
5. Lady Featherington
6. Niamh
7. Nimue

But according to you, I do not have my chickens in a natural state so perhaps they have an unnatural society.

Despite the fact that they have unlimited food and water, my lot must have chosen to have a pecking order because they are contained.

I have watched my chickens closely as well since 2014 and have documented those observations here since 2016. Utilizing both in person and camera-based observations. If you are interested in my pecking order observations, feel free to read through the thread.

I have watched chickens advance in the order by being the first pullet to lay and then lose that position when the hen they passed starts laying and wrestles the spot back from them. I can tell by little behaviors who is ahead in the order. That's how I know Niamh is ahead of Nimue. There has never been any vicious pecking between them. If you are not attuned to the small details, you would never know.

I can also say that others who keep chickens in similar conditions and numbers to me do not have easily defined pecking orders.

Based on my conversations with others, the more chickens in the group the more fluid the pecking orders are. Even so, most will tell you who their lead hen(s) are. This tells me that there is some kind of established order even if it is not easily perceived by humans. Do you have a lead hen(s)?

To my thinking, chickens choose what kind of a society they wish to live in. Some, like mine, have a strict hierarchical society, while others have chosen a less strict more equalitarian society.

I submit that just because you don't see or recognize it, it doesn't mean there isn't some structure to your chicken's society.

But it could be that you are right and your chickens have forgone any kind of order to their society. Perhaps your chickens have chosen a true egalitarian society. I have no way of knowing.

What I can tell you is that mine have a strict hierarchical society and I don't believe it is because they are behind a fence in the suburbs. I chose to believe that they have chosen this way to live and would do so even with unlimited space.

I think you misread

Chickens that are cooped up and not in a natural state do, in fact, create a pecking order. So you're absolutely right! I never said they didn't.


That's what's been observed of cooped up chickens.


I'm saying mine aren't cooped up and not only do they free range, they have more space than what their natural range would be to be allowed to be chickens in a natural environment.

I observe no pecking order.

Different chickens leave the door in different order every single solitary day. Different chickens dust bathe together every single day. Different chickens eat together every single day. I even feed a mash from one single bowl most mornings and not all chickens can eat from the bowl at once and every day, different chickens eat the mash and there are zero fights. Zero.

Babies scoot in and eat. Teenagers. The 13 week olds. Adults. It's a different group every day except always my cross beak, because that's why I do the mash in the first place.

A pecking order was indeed observed by the fellow in 1912

But it was cooped up overcrowded chickens.

So yes it exists. But it doesn't really exist if allowed to just be chickens on ample, ample free ranging space.

Both things are true.

 

[thistlewick]

I'm thinking roo/s may have an affect on flock behavior too. We never had a fliock roo cuz of zoning so we've only dealt w/ hens... & some hens can become really nasty to the point that rehoming was our only option a couple times.

By far, Char was our worst... to the point we feared she could kill our little Silkie Violet

Char was rehomed w/ a rescue friend ~ a very tall heavy bird, sweet w/ humans but she detested our little Silkie
View attachment 4166460

This is a great point as Cockerels and Roosters aim for peace. They don't brook fights or discord.

They have dozens of calls and sounds they make to each other.

We just observed Chuck (our Rooster) stop a fight between two Cockerels through a hardware cloth boundary only. This was just last night.

All he did was say something through the hwc and they stopped. My husband and I just gawped at each other in amazement and praised Chuck. Lol

 

[Sally PB]

@SimpleJenn, I sure will miss your boys!

 

[Ponypoor]

You and I will not agree on this.

My group has a clear linear pecking order.

1. Aurora
2. Hattie
3. Sydney
4. Aster
5. Lady Featherington
6. Niamh
7. Nimue

But according to you, I do not have my chickens in a natural state so perhaps they have an unnatural society.

Despite the fact that they have unlimited food and water, my lot must have chosen to have a pecking order because they are contained.

I have watched my chickens closely as well since 2014 and have documented those observations here since 2016. Utilizing both in person and camera-based observations. If you are interested in my pecking order observations, feel free to read through the thread.

I have watched chickens advance in the order by being the first pullet to lay and then lose that position when the hen they passed starts laying and wrestles the spot back from them. I can tell by little behaviors who is ahead in the order. That's how I know Niamh is ahead of Nimue. There has never been any vicious pecking between them. If you are not attuned to the small details, you would never know.

I can also say that others who keep chickens in similar conditions and numbers to me do not have easily defined pecking orders.

Based on my conversations with others, the more chickens in the group the more fluid the pecking orders are. Even so, most will tell you who their lead hen(s) are. This tells me that there is some kind of established order even if it is not easily perceived by humans. Do you have a lead hen(s)?

To my thinking, chickens choose what kind of a society they wish to live in. Some, like mine, have a strict hierarchical society, while others have chosen a less strict more equalitarian society.

I submit that just because you don't see or recognize it, it doesn't mean there isn't some structure to your chicken's society.

But it could be that you are right and your chickens have forgone any kind of order to their society. Perhaps your chickens have chosen a true egalitarian society. I have no way of knowing.

What I can tell you is that mine have a strict hierarchical society and I don't believe it is because they are behind a fence in the suburbs. I chose to believe that they have chosen this way to live and would do so even with unlimited space.

Yes I noted when I had only 7 or 8 they had a more structured hierarchy. Penelope was ‘boss mare’ and until she passed she was the one who no one messed with - even with the 40 odd I now have.

But now that Penelope is gone no one really is ‘boss mare’ - Raven likely the most dominant I have here, but even she has a few others that lord it over her.

I had to laugh yesterday, Raven took a dislike to Ruth and went and pecked her, Ruth then went and clobbered poor Jaffarra, who in turn went and clobbered Raven!

Very circular and fluid.

Unless of course it’s nest boxes that are wanted!

10 nest boxes and only 2 are used! And the old recycle bin some like to ‘hide’ eggs in!

Brats I tell you, brats!

 

[BY Bob]

I'm thinking roo/s may have an affect on flock behavior too. We never had a fliock roo cuz of zoning so we've only dealt w/ hens... & some hens can become really nasty to the point that rehoming was our only option a couple times.

By far, Char was our worst... to the point we feared she could kill our little Silkie Violet

Char was rehomed w/ a rescue friend ~ a very tall heavy bird, sweet w/ humans but she detested our little Silkie
View attachment 4166460

Yes roosters do have an effect on groups of chickens. For example they can help to offset the dynamics of bully lead hens by offering the food they find to the younger hens who are normally lower in any pecking order.

If I had a good rooster right now, he might be spending time with my new pullets helping to bring them into the group more quickly.

 

[Ponypoor]

Phyllis was 3 places ahead of Lady Featherington in the pecking order. Lady Featherington had no chance to be harsh with Phyllis.

This behavior by Lady Featherington is driven by her wish to no longer be last in the pecking order. She is making certain that the Phyllistines join the group beneath her in the order. It's also why no one else is really messing with them. They are not concerned about what happens below then.

Yes that’s been my observation here also with the youngsters.