I have a small backyard flock of 6 here at Fluffy Butt Acres. This spring/summer I let my Barred Rock Sydney hatch a small clutch of eggs when she went broody.
We lost one of the chicks very early (rest easy Dusty) but we wound up with a pullet, Lucky and a cockerel, Ned (50% right?).
I can’t keep a rooster here in my suburban neighborhood so I had to rehome Ned. Luckily for me the wonderful lady who gave me the fertile eggs for Sydney to hatch (@CrazyChookChookLady ), offered to take Ned and Lucky and introduce them into her flock. I really did not want to split up Lucky and Ned so I rapidly accepted. I am very glad that I did so as they have had each other to rely upon as they integrated with their flock.
The integration took place a little over a week ago. Ned & Lucky got to meet their father Stanley along with all of the other animals that live at CCCL’s, 2 dogs, 3 cats, and a whole bunch of other chickens, mostly hens.
When we released Ned & Lucky from the dog crate to start the integration process I immediately noticed something. No animal, dog, cat, hen or rooster chased the newcomers. Other came by to check them out and Rex, the black lab, stole any bread you tried to toss to them, but no one pecked at or chased them. This astonished me.
In my flock, chasing and pecking is a way of life. I have variously compared it to the Hunger Games, Highlander (“there can be only one”), and Game of Thrones. We even named one of our hens Sansa because while very pretty, she is ruthless.
Let me introduce the cast of characters that make up the flock at Fluffy Butt Acres so you know about whom I speak. Here they are in Pecking Order.
1 Lilly: Lilly has ascended the throne through attrition. I sometimes say that she rules with an Iron Beak. I have often wondered if she has done away with those in front of her somehow?
2 Hattie: The largest member of the flock and quite simply the easiest going hen you have ever met. She can however enforce her position by simply looking at any hen below her. They immediately back down.
3 Aurora: Aurora is the member of the gang that always seems a little unstable. She is the one that will always propose violence as the answer to a problem. I always think of “Clamps” from Futurama when I see her, “You wants me to clamps them boss?” Aurora will spend so much time chasing others away from food that Hattie eats it all. No matter, she always looks extremely satisfied when done.
4 Sansa: The future Queen of the North. The next three hens all came to us at the same time as pullets. It was clear immediately that Sansa was in charge. We had trouble naming her at first until we put beauty and ruthlessness together, Sansa it was. Right now Sansa has cultivated Lilly as her best friend. You will always find them together unless someone is laying an egg. This clever strategy has enabled her to take food from those above her as long as Lilly is present. Of course, if Lilly is not around, Aurora makes sure that Sansa gets nothing. Sansa loves nothing more than to chase and intimidate those below her. She will go out of her way just to chase them.
5 Sydney: Much like Hattie, Sydney is generally a very easy going hen. While she will remind Phyllis of her place and take food from her, she does not go out of her way to harass her. In fact, most days her and Phyllis hang out together. Interestingly enough, at one point Sydney moved ahead of Sansa in the pecking order because she started laying first. Sansa was very well behaved at that time and the bottom 3 in the pecking order was pretty calm. This did not last too long unfortunately as once Sansa starting laying she started challenging and it just seems that Sydney did not care enough to fight for her position. Once Sansa was 4th again and laying she then started to cultivate that friendship with Lilly.
6 Phyllis: Poor Phyllis. Not only is she the smallest hen, she is the most different looking. However, that head of hers is super protective when it comes to food. She can hide what she is eating with her mop of feathers. I have actually seen others twisting their heads to see what she might have been eating. The mop top also protects her when others try to peck her head. They never seem to be able to square her up.
Now I have over the years accepted that this is how a flock of hens interacts with each other. Really to the point where I have accepted it and have not really dwelled on it. 2 events really changed that and got me thinking about how mean it seems at times.
The first was when Sydney deemed that the chicks were old enough to take care of themselves. It was a stark dividing line. One day it seemed like they were walking alongside her and she was showing them the good food to eat, giving them the choicest bugs etc. and the next she was chasing them away, pecking them and even little Phyllis joined in. Ned and Lucky would not have gotten any treats without getting beat up if I had not created special circumstances in which they could get some. The whole flock pecked at them including Hattie.
Lilly and Sansa made a game out of terrorizing them. This was a game I had seen Lilly play alone many times before. Lilly would sneak up on unsuspecting pullets and then sprint right into the middle of them scattering them and pecking any she could reach. Now with Sansa they refined the game. Lilly would sneak up on Ned and Lucky, sprint into them and chase them but now it was directional. She would chase them straight to Sansa who would be hidden nearby. Sansa would step out and chase them right back to Lilly until the exhausted duo found a place to roost up and get away.
The best thing Sydney ever did for Ned and Lucky was to teach them to roost. She did it as soon as they could fly and they learned the lesson well. The only safe place for them was up.
The second thing to shock me into thinking about how my flock seems mean was CCCLs flock. There was no chasing, no pecking each other over food, no chasing the newcomers, nothing. None of the behaviors I have noticed in my flock over the years. Why is her flock so calm and easygoing? Is it Stanley the rooster? Does he keep all the ladies in line? Maybe. He is really cool and easy going.
There is one other thing that has gotten me thinking about this and it is roosting time. I have heard others on BYC describe roosting time as calm and quiet with their quietly grooming and even purring. Roosting time at Fluffy Butt Acres can be anything but calm. I have a video that is not for the faint of heart. You can see Aurora pull Sydney off of the high roost to the floor and teach her that she does not belong up there.
That also got me thinking, when did this “peckiness” start to infect my flock? How did it develop to be like this? If Stanley is responsible for the calmness of his flock, did it come from the leadership?
My flock was not always like this. I started to think back on the alpha hens I have had. The first four were all white leghorns. There really was limited meanness in those years. I think that I first noticed it was when Patsy and Lilly first joined the flock.
At that time, Daisy, who was the greatest hen ever, was in charge. I always described Daisy’s leadership as a benevolent dictatorship. While she got first pick, she did not go around pecking others. In fact, when Pasty would be overly vicious to Lilly at roosting time, Daisy would actually grab Patsy’s comb and hold it until she stilled. Once she let go of Patsy’s comb everything would settle. If I had to pinpoint the start of meanness it would have to be when Daisy passed and Patsy took over.
Patsy was a fighter. I saw her take on the one rooster we had Jabberwocky. (I tried to secretly keep him but there are no secrets where roosters are concerned) She would knock Jabberwocky off of the other hens as he was trying to do his business. This would make him mad, surprise, and he would come at her but she would just smack him down. She was a big tough lady and she was not afraid to throw her weight around. Watch this roost video as Patsy tries to dislodge Jabber from the roost so she could get at Lilly who was in the prime roosting spot. Patsy thought it was unacceptable to be where she was and even though Jabber was much larger than her, Patsy was determined to throw him out of her way.
It was into Patsy’s flock that Hattie and Aurora integrated. Patsy and Lilly had been together before I rescued them. Is it possible that Patsy is responsible for them interacting the way they do? Is this learned behavior or do chickens each have an individual nature and they simply behave in that manner?
I don’t believe that I can answer that at this time. Maybe with more observation I can figure it out.
I suppose that when Lilly passes on, if Hattie takes the flock, maybe I will be able to observe a change. I do know one thing. I surely hope there is never a day when Aurora wears the crown. If you look at history, things definitely go sideways if the individual in charge is just a bit off.
March 2021 Update
I caught something on camera a while back that is one of the meanest things I have ever seen. I warn you this is not for the faint of heart. I actually shouted when I saw it happen as I was watching live. Brave yourself before watching the meanness of my ladies in action.
We lost one of the chicks very early (rest easy Dusty) but we wound up with a pullet, Lucky and a cockerel, Ned (50% right?).
I can’t keep a rooster here in my suburban neighborhood so I had to rehome Ned. Luckily for me the wonderful lady who gave me the fertile eggs for Sydney to hatch (@CrazyChookChookLady ), offered to take Ned and Lucky and introduce them into her flock. I really did not want to split up Lucky and Ned so I rapidly accepted. I am very glad that I did so as they have had each other to rely upon as they integrated with their flock.
The integration took place a little over a week ago. Ned & Lucky got to meet their father Stanley along with all of the other animals that live at CCCL’s, 2 dogs, 3 cats, and a whole bunch of other chickens, mostly hens.
When we released Ned & Lucky from the dog crate to start the integration process I immediately noticed something. No animal, dog, cat, hen or rooster chased the newcomers. Other came by to check them out and Rex, the black lab, stole any bread you tried to toss to them, but no one pecked at or chased them. This astonished me.
In my flock, chasing and pecking is a way of life. I have variously compared it to the Hunger Games, Highlander (“there can be only one”), and Game of Thrones. We even named one of our hens Sansa because while very pretty, she is ruthless.
Let me introduce the cast of characters that make up the flock at Fluffy Butt Acres so you know about whom I speak. Here they are in Pecking Order.
1 Lilly: Lilly has ascended the throne through attrition. I sometimes say that she rules with an Iron Beak. I have often wondered if she has done away with those in front of her somehow?
2 Hattie: The largest member of the flock and quite simply the easiest going hen you have ever met. She can however enforce her position by simply looking at any hen below her. They immediately back down.
3 Aurora: Aurora is the member of the gang that always seems a little unstable. She is the one that will always propose violence as the answer to a problem. I always think of “Clamps” from Futurama when I see her, “You wants me to clamps them boss?” Aurora will spend so much time chasing others away from food that Hattie eats it all. No matter, she always looks extremely satisfied when done.
4 Sansa: The future Queen of the North. The next three hens all came to us at the same time as pullets. It was clear immediately that Sansa was in charge. We had trouble naming her at first until we put beauty and ruthlessness together, Sansa it was. Right now Sansa has cultivated Lilly as her best friend. You will always find them together unless someone is laying an egg. This clever strategy has enabled her to take food from those above her as long as Lilly is present. Of course, if Lilly is not around, Aurora makes sure that Sansa gets nothing. Sansa loves nothing more than to chase and intimidate those below her. She will go out of her way just to chase them.
5 Sydney: Much like Hattie, Sydney is generally a very easy going hen. While she will remind Phyllis of her place and take food from her, she does not go out of her way to harass her. In fact, most days her and Phyllis hang out together. Interestingly enough, at one point Sydney moved ahead of Sansa in the pecking order because she started laying first. Sansa was very well behaved at that time and the bottom 3 in the pecking order was pretty calm. This did not last too long unfortunately as once Sansa starting laying she started challenging and it just seems that Sydney did not care enough to fight for her position. Once Sansa was 4th again and laying she then started to cultivate that friendship with Lilly.
6 Phyllis: Poor Phyllis. Not only is she the smallest hen, she is the most different looking. However, that head of hers is super protective when it comes to food. She can hide what she is eating with her mop of feathers. I have actually seen others twisting their heads to see what she might have been eating. The mop top also protects her when others try to peck her head. They never seem to be able to square her up.
Now I have over the years accepted that this is how a flock of hens interacts with each other. Really to the point where I have accepted it and have not really dwelled on it. 2 events really changed that and got me thinking about how mean it seems at times.
The first was when Sydney deemed that the chicks were old enough to take care of themselves. It was a stark dividing line. One day it seemed like they were walking alongside her and she was showing them the good food to eat, giving them the choicest bugs etc. and the next she was chasing them away, pecking them and even little Phyllis joined in. Ned and Lucky would not have gotten any treats without getting beat up if I had not created special circumstances in which they could get some. The whole flock pecked at them including Hattie.
Lilly and Sansa made a game out of terrorizing them. This was a game I had seen Lilly play alone many times before. Lilly would sneak up on unsuspecting pullets and then sprint right into the middle of them scattering them and pecking any she could reach. Now with Sansa they refined the game. Lilly would sneak up on Ned and Lucky, sprint into them and chase them but now it was directional. She would chase them straight to Sansa who would be hidden nearby. Sansa would step out and chase them right back to Lilly until the exhausted duo found a place to roost up and get away.
The best thing Sydney ever did for Ned and Lucky was to teach them to roost. She did it as soon as they could fly and they learned the lesson well. The only safe place for them was up.
The second thing to shock me into thinking about how my flock seems mean was CCCLs flock. There was no chasing, no pecking each other over food, no chasing the newcomers, nothing. None of the behaviors I have noticed in my flock over the years. Why is her flock so calm and easygoing? Is it Stanley the rooster? Does he keep all the ladies in line? Maybe. He is really cool and easy going.
There is one other thing that has gotten me thinking about this and it is roosting time. I have heard others on BYC describe roosting time as calm and quiet with their quietly grooming and even purring. Roosting time at Fluffy Butt Acres can be anything but calm. I have a video that is not for the faint of heart. You can see Aurora pull Sydney off of the high roost to the floor and teach her that she does not belong up there.
That also got me thinking, when did this “peckiness” start to infect my flock? How did it develop to be like this? If Stanley is responsible for the calmness of his flock, did it come from the leadership?
My flock was not always like this. I started to think back on the alpha hens I have had. The first four were all white leghorns. There really was limited meanness in those years. I think that I first noticed it was when Patsy and Lilly first joined the flock.
At that time, Daisy, who was the greatest hen ever, was in charge. I always described Daisy’s leadership as a benevolent dictatorship. While she got first pick, she did not go around pecking others. In fact, when Pasty would be overly vicious to Lilly at roosting time, Daisy would actually grab Patsy’s comb and hold it until she stilled. Once she let go of Patsy’s comb everything would settle. If I had to pinpoint the start of meanness it would have to be when Daisy passed and Patsy took over.
Patsy was a fighter. I saw her take on the one rooster we had Jabberwocky. (I tried to secretly keep him but there are no secrets where roosters are concerned) She would knock Jabberwocky off of the other hens as he was trying to do his business. This would make him mad, surprise, and he would come at her but she would just smack him down. She was a big tough lady and she was not afraid to throw her weight around. Watch this roost video as Patsy tries to dislodge Jabber from the roost so she could get at Lilly who was in the prime roosting spot. Patsy thought it was unacceptable to be where she was and even though Jabber was much larger than her, Patsy was determined to throw him out of her way.
It was into Patsy’s flock that Hattie and Aurora integrated. Patsy and Lilly had been together before I rescued them. Is it possible that Patsy is responsible for them interacting the way they do? Is this learned behavior or do chickens each have an individual nature and they simply behave in that manner?
I don’t believe that I can answer that at this time. Maybe with more observation I can figure it out.
I suppose that when Lilly passes on, if Hattie takes the flock, maybe I will be able to observe a change. I do know one thing. I surely hope there is never a day when Aurora wears the crown. If you look at history, things definitely go sideways if the individual in charge is just a bit off.
March 2021 Update
I caught something on camera a while back that is one of the meanest things I have ever seen. I warn you this is not for the faint of heart. I actually shouted when I saw it happen as I was watching live. Brave yourself before watching the meanness of my ladies in action.
you get more harmony in the group. Good luck if you try some of my ideas.
The single roost at the same height was way worse at roosting time. Lilly would walk up and down its length knocking everyone off, just because. Lilly now goes to the high roost and leaves everyone else alone.
I am a little curious as to what a sound proof rooster cage is.
Just something I noticed, it's not at all scientific.
